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EPL Whether they were aimed at their team for squandering a home lead or the officials for the late booking of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who now faces a one-match ban, the smattering of boos at the end of Everton’s 1-1 draw with West Ham on Monday told a story of frustration. This was a game David Moyes’ side led but could have lost; one in which they seized the initiative through Michael Keane’s first-half header but surrendered after the break. Jarrod Bowen’s 65th-minute equaliser earned West Ham a deserved point and they looked the more likely to push for a winner. Advertisement Questions remain about this Everton side. They look short in key areas and slumped in the second half. They struggled to cope with the pace of El Hadji Malick Diouf and Crysencio Summerville, lack transitional threats of their own, and still have no obvious No 9 — and now Dewsbury-Hall’s suspension gives them another headache. The Athletic takes a look at the main talking points from Monday’s draw. Keane’s opener should have been a catalyst for Everton but they ended the game holding on. Panic had set in even before Bowen’s deflected equaliser, with Jordan Pickford saving from Summerville to spare Jake O’Brien’s blushes after the defender sold him short with a header. The Irishman has performed admirably on the whole at right-back but Monday was just the latest reminder that he remains a central defender filling in out of position rather than a viable long-term option there. It was perhaps that errant header back to Pickford, pounced upon by Summerville, that turned the tide of the match and made both his team-mates and supporters inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium unduly edgy. Everton looked at potential additions on that side throughout the summer transfer window, missing out on Kenny Tete and deciding against moves for both Kyle Walker-Peters and James Justin, and still clearly lack quality options there. Up front, Beto toiled again. The striker had just 17 touches, completing only three of his five passes, and failed to offer either threat or a stable platform up top. There were groans from supporters at times when he failed to compete with opposition defenders or cleanly gather the ball, but he lacked service too. With Thierno Barry, 22, the only other senior striker available, Everton look one quality attacking player short of being a potent outfit. Advertisement Youssef Chermiti, the £8million (£10. 8m) deadline sale to Rangers, may not have been the answer, but they might end up ruing the decision not to replace him. O’Brien was given a torrid time by Diouf and Summerville. The pair preyed on a makeshift Everton combination — ahead of O’Brien, Iliman Ndiaye was also playing slightly out of position — and ultimately got West Ham back into the game. There was a big disparity in pace and dynamism between the two sides. Moyes now has plenty of tidy, technical ball-players, but nobody to regularly break the lines and run in behind. West Ham exploited their advantage. With the away team initially set up to absorb possession and break, Summerville was a threat with his running throughout. Moyes later bemoaned the number of transitions his side had allowed, particularly in the second half. The most notable came for Bowen’s equaliser as Diouf raced past O’Brien and James Tarkowski down the left before crossing dangerously into the middle. It was like watching a Ferrari race a Fiat Punto. How Everton could do with an equivalent threat of their own to support Jack Grealish and Ndiaye. Expect full-backs to be on the recruitment agenda again in future windows, potentially as early as January. “I think he has taken much more responsibility (this season), ” Moyes said of midfielder James Garner after Monday’s draw. “His overall play is much better. He wants to get on the ball and help make play. Jimmy’s played as well as anybody. ” This was another positive showing from Garner, an initial £9m signing from Manchester United in 2022. He appears to have stepped up a level this season, demanding the ball and taking on more onus to create. No Everton player had more touches (82) on Monday, while he also set up Keane’s opener with a superb inswinging cross from the left, and came close to a late winner. In an all-action display, there were also recovery runs into the right-back channel. There was always a feeling internally that Garner would prove to be one of the previous Everton regime’s best bits of business. Three years into his time at the club, he now appears to be developing into the player many expected him to become. Advertisement With a year left to go on his deal, Everton are expected to attempt to tie the 24-year-old to fresh terms. They also have an option to extend his current contract by a further 12 months. “I think he’s stepped up again and he’s shown that he might be good enough to make another step with England in the future, ” Moyes said. “He’s a good player, (just needs) a bit of self-belief, a bit of confidence in himself. If he does that, then he’s got a chance of making the next step. ” Late in Monday’s game, Dewsbury-Hall sunk to his knees, head initially in hands, before banging the turf. Penalised for an apparent foul after winning possession close to West Ham’s goal, he was handed his fifth booking of the season and will now be suspended for Sunday’s visit of Crystal Palace. At the end, he and team-mate Grealish remonstrated with the officials, while Moyes also indicated his frustration at the decision in his post-match press conference. “It’s quite ridiculous when you think he has had the yellow card at Anfield (Dewsbury-Hall was booked for taking a free kick too quickly against Liverpool earlier this month) and now that one (against West Ham), ” said the Everton manager. “There has been a generally poor level (of officiating) at the moment, but the decision on Dewsbury-Hall was really shabby. ” Moyes will now be without a player who has become an early mainstay in his side this season. There is no obvious replacement, but winger Tyler Dibling and Carlos Alcaraz could both profit from his temporary absence. The latter was bright in his cameo near the end, beating defenders and drawing fouls. It offers Moyes a chance to blood other players and refashion an attack that did not click against his former club, but it was clear he sees Dewsbury-Hall’s suspension as an unfair blow. Advertisement “He’s played really, really well, ” Moyes noted. “He’s been a great signing at the start of the season, getting goals and creating goals and making us play much better. We’ll miss him. ” Dewsbury-Hall himself appears to agree, posting on X on Monday night: “Forgive me if I’m wrong, and I might be, but some of these decisions are so hard to take. Mind boggling. ” (Top photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Patrick Boyland has been The Athletic's Everton correspondent since 2019. Prior to joining the company, he worked for ESPN, Mail Online and press agency Sportsbeat, where he covered numerous major sporting events.

Boyland's views on Everton have been sought out by local and national media, while he is also a regular on a number of podcasts focusing on the club.

Follow him on Twitter: @Paddy_Boyland