West Ham United 0-0 Everton

Everton did not have a shot on target in the match

Everton missed the chance to move into the Premier League top five as they drew against West Ham in an uninspiring encounter.

West Ham's Slaven Bilic will be the happier of the two managers as the point edges his side closer to Premier League safety on 38 points, seven clear of Swansea in 18th, with four games remaining.

After a dire first half from both sides, it took Everton until the 70th minute to register their first shot and they did not manage an effort on target in the game.

Premier League top scorer Romelu Lukaku was reduced to a passenger and was kept quiet by the Hammers' excellent three-man defence, his only effort coming from a blocked shot.

• Relive West Ham's stalemate with Everton

The match at the London Stadium had been underway for half an hour before either side registered a shot and even that came via a deflection.

Both sides had made changes in goal for the game, with Adrian playing his first Premier League match since 5 November for the Hammers and Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg starting for the first time since 19 December.

It was Adrian who looked the rustier of the two and he almost gifted Everton a goal on 15 minutes after miscuing a throw-in. Edimilson Fernandes threw the ball to the Spaniard, who mis-kicked it before managing to smother it before Kevin Mirallas could pounce.

West Ham defender James Collins had had the best chance of the half, heading wide from six yards out.

It was the home side who looked most like scoring after the break, but they continually wasted chances as the game petered out.

Toffees' away form a concern

Lukaku's touch map showed he endured a difficult day against the Hammers

Everton had the opportunity to go fifth with a win, but their poor away form continued.

Ronald Koeman's side have now won just twice on their travels in their last 13 games.

Although they enjoyed 65.4% of possession in the first half, they touched the ball only twice in the opposition's goalmouth.

Koeman tried to change things at half-time, sending on Gareth Barry and Ademola Lookman for Tom Davies and Idrissa Gueye.

It was 19-year-old Lookman who finally managed a shot for Everton, sending one wide from distance. But his efforts aside, Everton did not trouble the Hammers defence.

The big concern will have been the form of Lukaku, who leads the Premier League's scoring chart with 24 goals, but managed just three touches in the Everton box.

The one time he did get on the ball in the box he was marshalled brilliantly by Collins and it took until the 85th minute for the Toffees to send in a meaningful cross for him to attack.

Only Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, with 17 goals, has scored more often in the top five European leagues than Lukaku in 2017. However, only one of the Belgian's 14 goals this year has come away from home.

The point moved Everton into sixth, one point above Arsenal, who have played three games fewer.

Man of the match - James Collins (West Ham)

Collins excelled in the three-man defence. He made a game-high eight clearances and five interceptions, and kept Lukaku quiet

'A lot of negatives'

Everton manager Ronald Koeman told BBC Sport: "It was really far from what we are used to, from the first minute to the last second.

"We didn't get the intensity. It was a poor performance with a lot of negatives.

"One positive is we kept a clean sheet. We like to perform to a certain level and it was far from that.

"I wasn't happy at half-time so we tried to do something. I couldn't change four, five, six or seven. But I changed two to give a signal to the team.

"We need wins now to get a chance of sixth or fifth place."

'11 lions'

Hammers boss Slaven Bilic told BBC Sport: "I am really pleased with the performance, I could not ask any more from my players. In terms of effort, dedication and determination, they get top marks. If any team deserved three points it was us.

"To limit them to one chance requires a lot of hard work. The only bit of negativity is that I felt at moments we lacked some quality in our decision-making. We played like 11 lions, one for each other.

"We talk about the magic number of 40 [points for Premier League survival]. I think we might need a few more points, so we are not going into the last game [still in danger]."

Stalemate struggles

• This was the first Premier League game to finish 0-0 at the London Stadium.

• This is just the second time that these two sides have drawn 0-0 in the Premier League in 42 meetings - the other coming in March 2003 at Goodison Park.

• Everton failed to find the net for just the second time in their last 17 Premier League games.

• For the second time this season, Everton have failed to have a shot on target in a Premier League game - a joint-worst record with Middlesbrough.

• This is the first time in Lukaku's Everton career that he has failed to score against West Ham - having netted in each of his previous nine appearances against the Hammers.

• Lukaku failed to have a shot on target in this match - the third successive away game the Belgian striker has failed to do so. It is the longest run without a shot on target away from home in the Premier League.

• Adrian kept his fourth clean sheet of the season; the same number fellow West Ham keeper Darren Randolph has kept but the Spaniard has played 10 games fewer (12 games).

What's next?

West Ham travel to Stoke on Saturday, while Everton host leaders Chelsea on Sunday, 30 April.