Everton snatched a late point against David Moyes’ former club West Ham United on Saturday afternoon.
Everton have now extended their unbeaten run to nine games and reside in 14th, level on points with three teams.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 12 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 28 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 36 | 33 | 3 | 39 |
| 13 |  TottenhamTottenham | 28 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 55 | 41 | 14 | 34 |
| 14 |  EvertonEverton | 29 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 36 | -4 | 34 |
| 15 |  Man UtdManchester United | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 40 | -6 | 34 |
| 16 |  West HamWest Ham | 29 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 33 | 49 | -16 | 34 |
Moyes’ side have found goals hard to come by in recent weeks and it’s becoming clear they’re missing Iliman Ndiaye’s creativity.
However, Moyes issued a worrying injury update on Ndiaye after the game, confirming that he wouldn’t be available until after the international break.
Whilst Everton have struggled going forward, they’ve been rock solid at the back and one man in particular has played a key role in that.
In fact, he was voted the Man of the Match by supporters.
Everton fans vote Jake O’Brien MOTM vs West Ham United
Everton fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to heap praise on Jake O’Brien, with many voting him the Man of the Match.
@Lozefc posted: “O’Brien with the most nailed on MOTM performance there, even before his goal, the big unit.”
@JNSNO1878 said: “O’Brien scoring again but was solid all game and my MOTM.”
“I really, really like Jake O’Brien. He has been by far the outstanding player since Moyesey came back. Absolutely fantastic he’s been,” @BT_1878 posted.
“What in blue hell was Dyche-ball thinking Unreal Fantastic player,” @Michael21412246 commented.
@vinerbrian added: “I kept a close eye on Jake O’Brien today. Excellent touch for such a big unit, decent turn of pace, can shoot from distance, and, happily, can nick a goal. Not bad for a defender playing out of position. Solid at the back too. Why Dyche didn’t fancy him remains a mystery.”
“Big Jake O’Brien’s giving Lescott vibes. He’s the perfect Moyes defender,” @HJJ92_ posted.
Jake O’Brien stats vs West Ham
It’s easy to see why O’Brien was voted Man of the Match when you take a look at his Sofascore statistics.
- 90 minutes played
- 67 touches
- 3 key passes
- 2 duels won
- 1 tackle
- 1 clearance
- 1 goal
The Republic of Ireland defender was excellent at progressing the ball forward and should’ve really had an assist.
O’Brien has been one of the best players since Moyes’ arrival in January despite playing out of his most favoured position.
Perhaps he’ll be moved back as a centre-back next season when Everton sign a right-back this summer.
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