West Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted his substitutes did not have the impact he hoped for in the defeat at Everton.
The Hammers’ 2-0 loss at Goodison Park came after a run of three straight wins, which included an EFL Cup triumph against Chelsea in midweek.
They gave a lethargic second-half display despite Bilic sending on strikers Andre Ayew and Simone Zaza in an attempt to change the course of the game.
“It’s about the squad, and many times the substitutions change the game or improve your game. Sometimes they are good, sometimes they are not good,” Bilic told reporters after the game.
“On Wednesday against Chelsea they were really good, or in the game against Palace. Today, it wasn’t the case unfortunately.”
Bilic conceded that his side paid the price for some sloppy defending in the build up to Everton’s opening goal, scored by Romelu Lukaku five minutes into the second half.
He said: “Of course I’m very disappointed. I’m not saying they didn’t deserve it, because they did. They were more clinical when it mattered.
“But I expected us to take something from this game. We gave away the first goal and it was always hard after that.”
