Now Everton are going to be taken seriously in the Premiership after ending
West Ham's unbeaten league record.
Francis Jeffers bagged a second half goal, with the normally safe Shaka Hislop
carrying the can for a bad mistake.
The result maintained Everton's unbeaten home record and sent them into an
impressive seventh place.
West Ham arrived with all the right credentials, but for once the front
pairing of Paulo Wanchope and Paolo Di Canio just did not click, and they
slumped to only their second away league defeat since March 6.
That is 12 away matches, and it has been Everton who have twice now been the
only blemish on that record.
They beat the Hammers 6-0 last term to save themselves from the drop, and this
time they achieved a victory of command and quality that makes them a force at
the other end of the table.
In veteran Richard Gough they had the man of the match, while new boy Abel
Xavier was not far behind on his home debut with a neat and tidy display in the
heart of midfield.
Scottish star John Collins had the measure of Frank Lampard, while Nicky
Barmby was a constant threat with his energetic display.
For the Hammers, Wanchope wasted their best chance, and they just could not
create genuine openings, although Di Canio will look back on a stubbed effort as
a crucial miss when a Lampard backheel had put him clear.
Considering the flooded roads around Goodison Park and the lake of a pitch, it
was a miracle this game went ahead at all.
A first-half full of mistakes saw Kent referee Steve Bennett trying to sort
out the malicious from mistimed errors.
In the end he booked Igor Stimac, Frank Lampard and Paolo Di Canio for the
Hammers plus Everton's Richard Dunne, who was just back from a two-match ban.
Everton's more direct and robust frontline was far more suited to the
conditions than the tip-tap stuff that West Ham produce so delightfully, but
which does not always work on days like this.
West Ham's Paulo Wanchope saw a 20-yarder spilled by Paul Gerrard, and then
broke away on his own after Richard Gough and David Weir had missed a long ball,
to force a fine one-handed save from the Everton keeper.
The game also took its toll on Everton's Dave Unsworth and Don Hutchison, who
both went off with muscle strains to be replaced by Michael Ball and Scot
Gemmill.
Everton had produced the more commanding play and Hutchison had blasted the
best chance - carved out for him by Francis Jeffers - wide of the far post.
Hislop produced two fine save at the beginning of the second period, the first
on his near post to block a Jeffers hook, and then after 55 minutes when he went
full length to his right to touch a Barmby drive round the post.
But a minute later when Di Canio and Lampard played a wonderfully timed
one-two on the edge of the box, Di Canio stubbed a shot he really should have
buried.
West Ham's game was improving as the surface improved.
But Everton were also finding the conditions easier to cope with, and a Ball
pass was missed by Javier Margas - still sporting his claret and blue hair -
and ran to Jeffers, who spun to fire in a low shot that Hislop held.
Everton broke the deadlock after 64 minutes when Barmby embarked on a run from
deep that should have been halted. The ball finally broke away from him in the
box and fell to Jeffers, who turned to fire a low shot that Hislop allowed to
spin into the net off his hands.
From then on Everton kept a firm grip on proceedings, cutting out the flow of
passes to Di Canio and battling across the front of their box to stop those
clever flicks and touches that West Ham excel at.
West Ham had won only one of their previous 15 visits to Goodison Park, and
they seemed to accept the inevitable.
Teams:
Everton: Gerrard, Unsworth (Gemmill 41), Weir, Gough, Dunne, Xavier, Hutchison (Ball 38), Collins, Barmby,Jeffers (Cleland 90), Campbell.
Subs Not Used: Cadamarteri, Simonsen.
Booked: Dunne, Barmby.
Goals: Jeffers 64.
West Ham: Hislop, Keller, Stimac, Potts, Margas, Moncur, Lomas, Lampard, Sinclair, Di Canio, Wanchope.
Subs Not Used: Kitson, Foe, Carrick, Forrest, Newton.
Booked: Stimac, Di Canio, Lampard.
Att: 35,154
Ref: S Bennett (Orpington).
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