Everton vs West Ham

<div> <h2>Everton vs West Ham: Data Points Favour a Cagey First Half</h2> <p>Everton Stadium hosts a meeting of contrasting moods on Merseyside. Everton arrive 10th and steady after five rounds, while West Ham sit 19th and under pressure. With Tomas Souček suspended and Aaron Wan-Bissaka sidelined, the Hammers must reconfigure a spine that has already leaked goals. Everton, meanwhile, are defensively assured at home, albeit with a doubt over Jarrad Branthwaite.</p> <h3>Form and Venue Trends</h3> <p>Everton’s home sample is small but emphatic: two matches, two clean sheets, and four points from six. Sean Dyche’s side have not conceded at Everton Stadium this season and have defended leads with 100% efficiency at home. West Ham’s away record is volatile—one excellent 0-3 win at Nottingham Forest and a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland. The common thread? Both away first halves finished 0-0, and the Hammers tended to erupt late.</p> <h3>Goal Timing: Expect a Slow Burn</h3> <p>The minute splits are striking. West Ham have scored 80% of their goals after half-time and concede heavily straight after the break (46-75’). Everton’s 46-60’ window is their most productive. Combined with Everton’s zero goals conceded at home and West Ham’s two away 0-0 half-time results, the first-half unders angle is strongly supported by the data.</p> <h3>Tactical Picture and Key Battles</h3> <p>Without Souček, West Ham lose aerial presence and box-arrivals from deep. Expect Lucas Paquetá to shoulder creative responsibility and Jarrod Bowen to run channels, but the onus on their midfield screen increases against Everton’s direct supply to Beto and the intelligent support from Iliman Ndiaye. For Everton, Jack Grealish has emerged as the chief creator with four assists in five and a league-leading 15 key passes in the squad data provided. If the Toffees are to win a tight affair, Grealish’s interplay with Ndiaye and set-piece delivery could be decisive.</p> <h3>Defensive Platforms</h3> <p>Jordan Pickford anchors a back line that has been miserly at home, with James Tarkowski’s blocking and leadership prominent. Everton’s time spent trailing at home is 0%, further underlining control. By contrast, West Ham’s overall defensive metrics are poor: 13 goals conceded in five, 2.60 per game, and a lead-defending rate of just 50% overall. Mads Hermansen, likely in goal, has allowed 11 across four league starts.</p> <h3>Market View and Value</h3> <p>Bookmakers price Everton as favourites (1.76 ML), which aligns with venue trends and team news. The sharper edges lie in derivative markets. First-half under 0.5 at 2.80 stands out given West Ham’s away HT 0-0 record and Everton’s home parsimony. BTTS No at 1.85 is supported by the venue split (Everton home BTTS 0%; West Ham away BTTS 0%). For those seeking bigger prices, Everton clean sheet at 2.35, or exact HT score 0-0 at 2.80, map tightly to the statistical profile. Player-wise, Grealish to assist at 3.75 looks live given his current production and West Ham’s unsettled midfield screen.</p> <h3>Discipline and Set Pieces</h3> <p>Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s four yellows in five underline Everton’s combative midfield approach. James Ward-Prowse remains a set-piece danger for West Ham, but Everton’s home clean sheet record and aerial solidity (Tarkowski, Keane/O’Brien) will be tested. Corners are a sneaky angle: West Ham games average 14.2 corners; pairing with Everton yields a lean to Over 9.5 corners.</p> <h3>Prediction</h3> <p>Given the numbers and absences, a low-event first half followed by Everton edging control feels most plausible. A 1-0 or 2-0 home win aligns with their home defensive baseline and West Ham’s issues in midfield and at full-back.</p> <h3>Best Bets Summary</h3> <ul> <li>First Half Under 0.5 (2.80) – strongest statistical edge (WHU away HT 0-0; Everton home GA 0).</li> <li>Everton -0.5 (1.77) – home resilience vs injury/suspension-hit Hammers.</li> <li>BTTS No (1.85) – venue split leans strongly to one-sided scoring.</li> <li>Everton Clean Sheet Yes (2.35) – 2/2 home CS, WHU creativity compromised.</li> <li>Prop: Jack Grealish Assist Yes (3.75) – 4 assists, 15 key passes.</li> </ul> <p>Early-season caveat applies, but the venue-specific patterns and team news tilt the matchup toward a controlled Everton performance, with the best value concentrated in first-half unders and clean-sheet-related markets.</p> </div>