The goal which earned West Ham United a valuable Premier League point on Nuno Espirito Santo’s debut away at Everton – via the left boot of Jarrod Bowen – may have felt eerily familiar.

It was, after all, quite similar to one of the goals the Hammers scored during their pre-season tour of the USA.

A goal which meant captain Jarrod Bowen described Malick Diouf as ‘one of the best’ crossers he had ever played alongside. On that day, a 2-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth in Atlanta, Diouf darted down the left and immediately fizzed a sensational cross into the penalty area.

Bournemouth couldn’t clear and, following a brief scramble, it was turned in by Niclas Fullkrug.

Two months later, as Nuno Espirito Santo praised West Ham’s fighting spirit after going one down after just 18 minutes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, El Hadji Malick Diouf delivered another trademark cross. This time, it was Everton’s turn to get themselves in a muddle. Bowen picking up the scraps and lashing past Jordan Pickford to claim Nuno’s first point.

While not the only standout performer – Crysencio Summerville was ‘outstanding’ too on a night when Freddie Potts staked a claim for further first-team minutes – it is once again Diouf and Bowen who will dominate much of the post-match discussion.

A goal from a Diouf delivery, meanwhile, is already becoming something of a common occurence.

Jarrod Bowen hails Malick Diouf and Crysencio Summerville after Everton 1-1 West Ham United

Bowen now has three Premier League goals from six starts, to match Diouf’s number of assists.

The prospect of Summerville driving at the heart of opposition backlines, while opening up space for his left-back to drive into on the overlap, well, there are early shades of the Neco Williams – Callum Hudson-Odoi partnership which wreaked havoc for Nuno’s Nottingham Forest during their European charge.

“Malick and Cry linked up well all game,” Bowen tells the official West Ham website. “And Malick showed really good work-rate to get down the flank and put the ball in the box, that needed defending.

“It fell to me, and in that sort of position, I don’t feel like I can be stopped, because I know what I’m going to do before they do.

“My Dad’s got an old saying; ‘The goal never moves, so you just have to get the ball on target’. I don’t know if it took a bit of a deflection but, if you don’t buy a raffle ticket, you don’t win a prize. And it’s come off today.”

Freddie Potts makes only his second Premier League appearance

If Graham Potter’s successor wanted to immediately win over his new fanbase, then this was the way to do it.

Nuno dropped James Ward-Prowse. Not only from the Hammers XI, but from the entire matchday squad. The West Ham fans demanding a Freddie Potts run-out, meanwhile, would not be disappointed. The 22-year-old academy graduate would replace full debutant Soungoutou Magassa with half an hour remaining, and the game in the balance.

While Graham Potter clearly felt Potts was not ready for the rigours of Premier League football, Nuno appears to see what the fans see in the popular academy graduate.

“The young players have done really well,” Bowen smiles on a night when Luis Guilherme also stepped off the bench and Magassa started alongside Mateus Fernandes in the middle.

“We have to remember that they’ve come in this season, it’s been a tough period, and they’ve still showed up every week, and every day in training.

“They’ve got the work-rate and the mindset, which is credit to them. I thought there were excellent performances throughout the team tonight, and we just want to build on that away at Arsenal on Saturday now.”