Goal shy Everton still looking over their shoulders

Brian Sorensen will have liked plenty of what he saw from his Everton side on Sunday afternoon, but he will have been left with a very familiar feeling of frustration as they fell to yet another avoidable defeat.

The Toffees dominated possession 54.8% to West Ham's 45.2%, registered an expected goals ratio of 2.19 to West Ham's 1.77, and had five more shots at goal than their hosts.

However they failed to beat their opponents in the area that matters most: goals.

As Kelly Gago and Katja Snoejis missed golden chances to open the scoring inside the opening quarter of an hour, West Ham striker Shekiera Martinez had one chance and grabbed it.

Then Viviane Asseyi slammed home her penalty to give West Ham a two-goal cushion.

While the visitors remained in the contest, in reality the second goal sealed West Ham's win. Everton have yet to come from behind to win this season.

In fact they have scored more than one goal on just one occasion, their shock 2-1 win over Manchester City before the winter break.

Their only other victory this season was also by a one goal margin, their 1-0 Merseyside derby victory in November.

Everton's four point gap to the relegation spot remained in tact as Crystal Palace also lost on Sunday. However if goals continue to be a problem it may only be a matter of time before the division's newcomers overtake them.