Premier League make official decision ahead of Everton vs West Ham clash - David Moyes won’t be happy
Everton are looking to end a three-match winless run when they return to action against West Ham
The Premier League have confirmed that Sam Barrott will be the man with the whistle when Everton take on West Ham United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday evening.
The Toffees are winless in their last three matches across all competitions after a 0-0 draw at home to Aston Villa, a 2-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield and a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Wolves in the Carabao Cup. Nevertheless, they’ve given fans plenty to be positive about in the early weeks of the season, particularly at their new stadium where they are still yet to taste defeat in a competitive outing.
Everton boss Moyes has proven his worth over the last few months, inheriting a team that was just one point away from safety in January and taking them up to 13th position and 23 points clear of the drop zone. He’s also recruited well to bring in Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall among others and has some sections of the supporters believing they can achieve bigger and better things this term.
The exact opposite applies to his counterpart Graham Potter. Statistically at this moment in time, he’s the worst coach in the club’s history, with a win percentage of 28, and at this moment faces the prospect of the sack if he can’t turn the corner quickly. Potter has won just two out of eight matches against the Toffees over the course of his managerial career and faces an uphill battle to prove he can achieve similar things with the Hammers to what he had previously managed at Brighton at his peak.
Sam Barrott confirmed as referee
Sam Barrott takes charge of Everton’s match with David Moyes’ former club West Ham. Barrott oversaw the Blues’ Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool in April. The Reds won the game, with the late Diogo Jota bursting into the box to find the winner in the second half, in a game shrouded in controversy.
Moyes took exception at a moment in the build-up to the goal when Luis Diaz showed for the ball when in an offside position but left the ball only for James Tarkowski to miscue a clearance. That allowed Diaz to come back into play as he found Jota who fired past Jordan Pickford. Moyes felt Diaz impacted Tarkowski’s ability to properly clear the ball.
Moyes said: “He’s offside. I’ve not had an explanation, but I’ve said that I’m disappointed. It’s quite an easy one to give as well, because all of our players are holding the 18-yard line, Diaz comes from behind and affects Tarky from behind, clearly. I’m really surprised it wasn’t given – or maybe I’m not surprised.”
Everton’s record when Sam Barrott is referee
The Toffees have lost three of the four games overseen by Sam Barrott and have only managed to come out on top on one occasion, a 3-2 win away at Crystal Palace in November 2023. Barrott took charge of Everton’s 2-1 loss to Bournemouth away and their 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa last term as well as the Merseyside derby at Anfield in April.
The referee will be assisted on Monday evening by Constantine Hatzidakis and Wade Smith. Tony Harrington is the fourth official. VAR duties will be carried out by Paul Tierney with help from assistant Tim Robinson.
Everton drew both matches with West Ham last season and are chasing their first win against them since November 2023 when a second-half strike by Dominic Calvert-Lewin earned them three points at the London Stadium. David Moyes was in the opposite dugout against Sean Dyche for that particular contest.