Nayef Aguerd has claimed his West Ham United side treated Saturday’s game against Everton like a cup final.
A first-half double from Jarrod Bowen put the Hammers well on their way to a 2-0 win at the London Stadium. Only some fine goalkeeping from Jordan Pickford prevented David Moyes’ side from adding to their tally in the second-half.
The defeat leaves Everton joint-bottom of the Premier League table with Southampton. The Blues have just 15 points to their name.
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Both West Ham and Everton have struggled for form so far this season and the game was described by many in the build-up as 'El Sackico', with both Moyes and Frank Lampard coming under increasing pressure.
And speaking following his first Premier League start at the London Stadium, Aguerd revealed that due to the importance of the game, his Hammers side treated the fixture as though it was a cup final.
“It was really unbelievable,” he said. “We needed this victory to get some smiles in the dressing room. We really wanted a reaction – so I am very happy with these three points.
“Before the game, in the changing room, we said it was like a final. We are in a similar position as Everton, so the three points were very important us, especially in front of our fans.
“We are very happy with these three points. We wanted this victory to bounce back, and we want to keep pushing and keep fighting.
“We still have a lot of games [to come this season]. But this win is very important, we will go to Newcastle [next in the league] but we needed to bounce back [after Wolves] and we did that today.”
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