LONDON: West Ham United boosted their bid for European qualification as defender Aaron Cresswell’s brilliant free kick and forward Jarrod Bowen’s second-half strike sealed a 2-1 Premier League win over 10-man Everton at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Bowen marked his comeback from injury by scoring the winning goal in the 58th minute, converting a rebound into an empty net after Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had saved from Michail Antonio.
Cresswell gave West Ham the lead with a curling free kick into the top corner in the 32nd, only for Mason Holgate to equalise in the 53rd with a deflected shot.
Defender Michael Keane’s red card midway through the second half capped another disappointing away performance by Frank Lampard’s team.
While West Ham moved above Manchester United to fifth with 51 points from 31 games, three points behind fourth-placed London rivals Arsenal having played three games more, Everton remain in 17th, three points above the drop zone.
In the late game on Saturday, Manchester United were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Leicester City at Old Trafford as their struggles under interim manager Ralf Rangnick continued.
Kelechi Iheanacho put the visitors in front in the 63rd minute after nodding home a James Maddison cross but United responded three minutes later when Fred scored from a rebound following Bruno Fernandes’ initial effort.
