Reid chuffed to see West Ham United halt Everton hotshot Lukaku

West Ham United defender Winston Reid says that blunting Romelu Lukaku was the key to his team picking up a point against Everton at the weekend.

The Hammers held the in-form Toffees, who are chasing European qualification, to a goalless draw at the London Stadium on Saturday and Reid was delighted with a clean sheet, particularly having come up against the Premier League’s leading scorer.

Everton striker Lukaku has 24 league goals to his name and, while admitting that shepherding the Belgian into ineffective areas of the pitch was ‘boring’, Reid, who captained West Ham, was happy to see his team put in a resilient defensive display.

“With a player like Lukaku, you have to keep tight to him and if he can’t turn, then he can’t score and it’s going to be difficult for him,” said the 28-year-old.

Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“You try and keep him away from goal – it’s pretty boring but it’s simple and effective.

“You have got to be on him when he’s in the box and I think we did well.

“Jose [Fonte] and Ginge [James Collins] were great at the back but also people in front were great. Harv [Nordtveit] put in a really good shift and that was good to see.

“But Everton are more than just Lukaku. They have a good team.

“It was first about working out where they’re good, and that’s through the middle of the pitch.

“They have good combinations and we minimised them to just a few chances. There weren’t many, and it was that type of game.”