Everton’s Sean Dyche praises “high quality moment” from West Ham ace



Everton manager Sean Dyche commended Tomas Soucek’s impressive late goal during Saturday’s 3-1 comeback victory at Goodison Park.

Dyche, once again lamenting Everton’s missed opportunities, acknowledged West Ham’s clinical performance that sealed the win, highlighting the contrast in effectiveness between the two sides.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Dyche irritatingly exclaimed: “We’ve got to go and score. I can’t stand here every week and say ‘the XG is through the roof’. It’s a marker but it doesn’t win you games. Winning games is scoring at one end and keeping it out at the other.

“They score a great goal to be fair to them (from Soucek) to get their nose ahead. We’ve had so many chances today. High quality moments in high quality areas and we don’t score a goal. That’s my responsibility but also the player’s responsibility.”

Even David Moyes, the counterpart to Dyche, conceded that the 3-1 result favoured West Ham, while singling out goalkeeper Alphonse Areola for his exceptional performance. Moyes highlighted Areola’s brilliance, particularly his pivotal save from a Beto penalty, as the highlight of an outstanding display.

West Ham United’s Scottish manager David Moyes arrives for the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Bournemouth at the London Stadium, in London on February 1, 2024.

Everton boss praises West Ham’s Tomas Soucek

On the other hand, Dyche offered reluctant praise for Areola’s teammate, Tomas Soucek, whose beautifully curled goal in the 91st minute gave West Ham the lead for the first time.

Soucek, typically known for his aerial prowess and gritty goals, netted what could be considered the pinnacle of his West Ham tenure in stoppage time. His midfield companion, Edson Alvarez, sealed the victory with a counter-attacking goal, alleviating pressure on former Everton manager Moyes after back-to-back wins and a haul of seven goals in a week.

Moyes, in contrast, lauded Soucek’s exceptional curling strike as “brilliant.” The towering Czech midfielder, who now boasts nine goals this season, is just one goal shy of his personal best.