West Ham secure vital late victory against Everton, holding two-point edge over Spurs

In the heart of a fierce relegation scrap, those three points were essential for West Ham, particularly with Spurs taking on the already doomed Wolves.

The side kicked off with real urgency, sensing the high stakes of the encounter, surging forward and nearly opening the score in the first 10 minutes as Crysencio Summerville floated an ideal cross for Tomas Soucek to attack, yet the Czech Republic international could only direct his header just above the crossbar.

West Ham held sway for much of the opening period, though they rarely endangered the Everton net, something that likely troubled manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

The lacklustre half drew to a close with Jarrod Bowen pulling a shot wide of the target for the home team, a rare miss that captured the challenges encountered by both outfits during the first 45 minutes, especially the Hammers who managed zero efforts on target.

Everything shifted shortly after the interval, however, with Taty Castellanos forcing Jordan Pickford into a save, and West Ham convinced they merited a spot kick for a challenge that followed.

Frustration swiftly became elation, however, as Soucek rose above everyone from the ensuing corner to power home Bowens delivery and give the Hammers the lead.

The strike failed to truly awaken Everton, who resembled a team lacking much motivation for large parts of the contest, even with their position near the European qualification spots.

The visitors gradually found some rhythm, featuring a chaotic moment in the box where Soucek made a vital block, swiftly followed by a critical intervention from Axel Disasi as West Ham protected their narrow advantage.

Thierno Barry almost grabbed an equaliser for the away side with a header that the standout Soucek cleared away from the goal line in heroic fashion, suggesting his earlier effort would clinch the full points.

This held until the 88th minute, when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall timed his run perfectly to volley in James Tarkowskis flick on, apparently thrusting West Ham into the relegation positions.

The generally uninspiring contest delivered one final dramatic moment, though, as during eight minutes of added time, Wilson emerged to ignite the London Stadium with a decisive late strike that preserved West Hams two-point cushion above Tottenham in the battle for survival.