Everton was further rocked as its under-fire owners watched their struggling team lose 2-0 to fellow underachievers West Ham.
Two goals from Jarrod Bowen kept the Toffees rooted in the relegation zone and put manager Frank Lampard's future in grave danger. Chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri were both present.
In the away end, Everton supporters unfurled banners that read, "Board Full Of Liars," expressing their displeasure once more, but their team lost. Since there is so much unhappiness at the club, Everton's directors were urged to avoid last week's loss to Southampton at home for their own safety.
Moshiri's appearance at the London Stadium therefore seemed quite important. He hadn't been to an Everton game in about 18 months, making it his first opportunity to see the squad under Lampard.
It might be the last because of the poor performance, which even made West Ham, who are also having a terrible season, look practically competent. Following a memorial for Hammers co-owner David Gold, who passed away three weeks ago, two tense teams engaged in a horrifyingly cagey match on pitch two.
Jordan Pickford, the Everton goalkeeper, added to the tension when he botched his first touch of the ball, but Michail Antonio was unable to capitalize. Said Benrahma's curving drive was deflected by Pickford after he made a fantastic save to tip it over, but West Ham, who had gone seven games without a victory, soon made their dominance count.
Emerson Palmieri hoisted a powerful cross into the area in the 33rd minute, and Kurt Zouma turned it on for Bowen to nudge the ball home. Despite Bowen appearing to be offside, the goal was upheld after a VAR review. The winger celebrated by tucking the ball beneath his shirt after wife Dani Dyer revealed they were expecting twins the night before.
When Bowen, who hadn't scored since October, extended West Ham's advantage nine minutes later, Lampard would have been pregnant. Antonio did an excellent job of eluding James Tarkowski's challenge on the touchline, giving him the easy chore of bringing the ball back for Bowen to tuck away.
But even with a 2-0 lead, West Ham nearly enabled their shattered opponents to come back before the break when Alex Iwobi's low attempt was deflected against a post.
Emerson's shot hit the crossbar in the second half, Declan Rice shot across goal and missed, and Bowen was denied a hat-trick by a smart Conor Coady challenge.
It didn't matter because West Ham easily held on, climbing out of the bottom three and giving their under-fire manager David Moyes some breathing room in the process. Lampard, meanwhile, was left fearing the worst.
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