West Ham 1 – 2 Everton
Everton survived a late revival from West Ham to register their first win in the Premier League since September.
The visitors were poor for long periods but took the lead when Louis Saha drilled home Tim Cahill’s lay-off.
Dan Gosling doubled the advantage after seeing his first shot saved by Robert Green but a hapless own goal from Tony Hibbert brought West Ham back into it.
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Zavon Hines had numerous chances to snatch an equaliser for the hosts but Everton clung on for all three points.
The game will not live long in the memory for most neutrals but for David Moyes it may just mark an important shift in his side’s fortunes.
The visitors suffered a miserable October that saw them totally outplayed by Benfica, crash out of the Carling Cup and not win at all in the league.
Saha had missed the defeat to Benfica with a calf injury but returned to notch his ninth goal of the campaign – an impressive feat in such an under-performing side.
West Ham desperately missed the injured Carlton Cole up front, with his young replacement Hines suffering something of a reality check after the euphoria that surrounded his last-gasp winner against Aston Villa in midweek – the Hammers’ first victory in the league since the opening day.
The 20-year-old had looked nervous in the early stages, dithering badly on two occasions after being sent free through the inside-left channel.
Guillermo Franco was unlucky to see a glancing effort drift wide from a driven Julien Faubert cross, while Scott Parker bundled his way through and tested Tim Howard.
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But it was obvious that both teams were struggling for form, as a series of long balls and niggling fouls added up to a scrappy opening period.
Parker controlled proceedings impressively from central midfield but him aside, the standard in the first half was indicative of two teams in such a rut.
Everton needed a spark from somewhere to force their way into the game, and one was soon provided by a familiar source.
Cahill picked up a loose ball on the edge of the West Ham area and laid back to Saha, who drilled low and powerfully into the bottom corner.
It gave the visitors a scarcely deserved lead, with an upbeat Upton Park crowd suddenly stunned into silence.
The Hammers at least upped the intensity of their play after the break although Luis Jimenez failed to control after being set free by Faubert.
Everton, meanwhile, were equally struggling to create anything of note at the other end, and their efforts were not helped when Saha was forced off with an apparent recurrence of his calf strain.
The game finally burst into the life midway through the second half when Gosling increased Everton’s lead.
Yakubu – on for Saha – slipped the ball through to the youngster who saw his first effort well saved by Green.
But the West Ham keeper, who was playing in his 100th consecutive league game, was unable to keep out the follow-up.
If anything, the second goal reinvigorated the hosts, who burst forward with much more purpose and reduced the deficit within 85 seconds.
Alessandro Diamanti fed Junior Stanislas who chipped the advancing Tim Howard. Hibbert appeared to have the ball covered, but in attempting to clear only managed to slice dismally into his own net.
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Hines had two superb chances to level soon after but dragged his shot wide having been sent clear by Parker, and again following a mix-up in the Everton defence.
And the Toffees had their hearts in their mouths once more in the dying moments when Parker, again the creator, teased the ball into the six yard box.
Franco arrived at pace but slipped at the crucial moment – leaving the West Ham fans, and manager, totally exasperated.
Zola claimed his side had turned a corner after the late win against Villa on Wednesday, but on this evidence the Italian may have to think again.
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola:
“It’s tough for me and for the players. The guys gave everything until the end but we need to sort out the little problems because they’re costing us a lot.
“It’s not the first time we’ve been a goal down late on. We just need to make sure we’re not chasing the game all the time.
“I think we should have had at least a draw but it didn’t happen. We’re just going to have to work even harder now. We know it’s a difficult season and we will work until the end.”
Everton manager David Moyes:
“We could have done better but the one thing we do at Everton is know how to win. It might not be the best way but we know how to do it.
“We didn’t start well and West Ham were on top. But when Louis (Saha) gets chances he puts them away. It was important for him because he’s had a calf injury.
“When we went 2-0 up you could have said it was a perfect away performance but not in the last 30 minutes. We needed every hand to the pump to get through it because West Ham put us under a lot of pressure.
“We know we can play a lot better than we’ve been doing. We’ve had some injury problems but we’ve had to get the job done with the players available and thankfully, we did.”
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