Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham tenure began with a battling 1-1 draw at Everton, a result that offered the Portuguese coach encouragement after inheriting a side in crisis.
Appointed just two days after Graham Potter’s sacking, Nuno had little time to implement his trademark disciplined, counter-attacking setup.
Yet his influence was evident as the Hammers showed greater cohesion and resilience on Merseyside, rallying from behind to earn a point.
“Our message today was very clearly about competing as a team, being close to each other, and the boys did well. I think overall it is a good first, first game for us,” Nuno said, stressing that the display would serve as a foundation for progress.
Defensive lapses at set pieces remain a glaring weakness, with West Ham again undone by a corner, but the manager believes his players are beginning to grasp the need for unity and structure. “Every ball matters – the message was clear,” he noted.
The 51-year-old now faces the task of moulding a side capable of reproducing the organised and hard-to-beat style that marked his spells with Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
For Nuno, it will be a gradual process. “It takes so much time, and our approach is simple – day by day, the best of us every day,” he said.
