Rejoice! Everton’s season from hell is finally coming to an end as they travel to the London Stadium to face David Moyes’ West Ham.
Evertonians will be hoping this one will prove to be Sam Allardyce’s last hoorah as the Toffees’ boss ahead of what could potentially be a massive summer at Goodison Park.
Surprisingly, no less than 12 teams sit below the Blues ahead of the final day despite a nightmare campaign, which doesn’t put ‘the best league in the world’ in such great light.
One of those sides are West Ham, who are 15th in the league. Before last weekend’s 2-0 win over Leicester, they were still in danger of going down, but the Hammers will be playing Premier League football next season.
Sunday could prove to be Wayne Rooney’s final game in English football with a proposed move to MLS side DC United on the cards.
But for those who are into sentiment, it is rather fitting the former England captain’s last game for Everton could come against a side he produced his finest hour in the royal blue.
Cast your minds back to November, David Unsworth’s last game in charge (as much as Allardyce tries to claim it was all his doing), and Rooney fired a hat-trick in L4, including the Toffees’ goal of the season from his own half.
Everton have the stats on their side for this one. Since Moyes departed in the summer of 2013 whenever he has faced his former employers he has always come out the loser.
In the five games Moyes has been in the opposing dugout, the Scot’s Manchester United, Sunderland and West Ham outfits respectively have shipped 12 goals without reply.
In the last 19 Premier League clashes between the sides, the Hammers have only taken three points once, in 2016’s collapse from 2-0 up at the Grand Old Lady.
An away win won’t see Everton move any higher than the eighth place they already occupy but a loss, alongside a Leicester win at Tottenham, could see the visitors down to ninth.
On the other hand, West Ham’s result could see mass change in their league position, a win could see them up to 10th, a loss could see them finish 17th, all depending on results and goal swings elsewhere.
Team news
No change in terms of injuries for Everton, Dominic Calvert Lewin, Mason Holgate, James McCarthy and Eliaquim Mangala are all still out.
The hosts will be without Winston Reid, Michail Antonio and Sam Byram. James Collins and Javier Hernandez are doubtful.
Man in the middle
Graham Scott will take the whistle for Sunday’s fixture. He has shown 79 yellow cards and five reds in the 29 matches he has refereed this term.
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