Twenty days after his Nottingham Forest exit, Nuno Espírito Santo was back in the Premier League and watching West Ham United grow into his 4-2-3-1 blueprint at Everton. Michael Keane’s early header from a James Garner cross put the Hammers behind, but Jarrod Bowen’s 65th-minute strike — deflecting in off Keane — secured a 1-1 draw and a platform for the new era.

After a conservative opening, West Ham’s left flank took charge and the visitors finished the stronger, forcing errors and saves from Jordan Pickford. It was their first league point since the end of August and, though they remain second from bottom on four points, the performance and resilience will hearten Nuno and the away end alike.

Nuno’s plan, one set-piece sting

Nuno immediately reverted to his favoured 4-2-3-1, demanding compact distances and collective work. The system needed time to bed in, and Everton’s early dominance brought a familiar pain: from the second phase of a corner, Areola’s initial punch was followed by a failure to push up and contest the next ball; Garner swung in again and Keane rose into a pocket of space, Mavropanos slow to engage, to head home.

That concession was West Ham’s eighth from corner situations this season, a number that underlines the main short-term repair job. Yet even as Everton racked up 22 crosses and 12 shots, many of the efforts were manageable, with Beto and Iliman Ndiaye sending straight, saveable strikes at Areola. The visitors stayed in it.

Summerville and Diouf spark the response

The shift came down West Ham’s left. Crysencio Summerville, direct and daring, repeatedly drove at Jake O’Brien, while El Hadji Malick Diouf overlapped with intent. Early in the second half, Summerville nearly levelled after pouncing on an O’Brien mistake, only for Pickford to claw away the winger’s audacious flick.

Those sequences tilted the contest and primed the equaliser. On 65 minutes Diouf sent in another dangerous delivery; Keane’s attempted clearance failed to defuse the danger and Bowen, alive at the back post, snapped a left-foot finish that took a nick off Keane on its way past Pickford — the first opposition Premier League goal at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Bowen kissed the badge in front of the travelling support, the emblem of a side rediscovering its voice.

On the front foot, chasing a winner

From the moment of the leveller, West Ham looked the likelier winners. They pushed Everton back, forced hurried decisions and drew more from Pickford as momentum built. Blocks and deflections denied a second, and Bowen had another effort diverted behind as the away end roared belief that a late heist was on.

The closing spell showcased the intensity Nuno demands — and the connection he seeks to rebuild with the supporters. There was audible anger in the songs aimed at the hierarchy — “sack the board,” “we want our club back” — but the team’s response channelled that energy. “It’s our main priority that we come closer to our fans,” Nuno said. “This is just a very small step forward for us.”

Fix the corners, take the platform to Arsenal

Beyond the point, the lesson is stark: tighten up at set-plays. Keane’s goal stemmed from a second phase after a punch, with the line slow to reset and a marker too loose on the scorer. “We should have been more aggressive and closer to Keane,” Nuno admitted, noting that the defending improved after the break.

The positives were equally clear: the left flank’s chemistry, the collective response and a talisman up front. Jamie Carragher called Bowen “one of the greatest players to play for the club” as he edges closer to the club’s Premier League scoring record. With Arsenal — the division’s set-piece kings — up next, the blueprint is visible: keep the intensity, fix the dead-balls, and turn promising second halves into wins.