West Ham stun Everton to give Pellegrini a birthday gift

Andriy Yarmolenko fired a brace and Marko Arnautovic added another as West Ham’s season finally got a much-needed kick-start with a stunning 3-1 win at Everton.

West Ham had lost more games and conceded more goals to Everton than any other team. With only three previous wins at Goodison Park, this was probably not the fixture Manuel Pellegrini, celebrating his 65th birthday, would have chosen in a bid to get off the foot of the table and pick up their first points of the season.

The Hammers made six changes from the side that lost 1-0 at home to Wolves a fortnight ago, with Yarmolenko making his first Premier League start, partnering Arnautovic up front and Declan Rice, Mark Noble, Pablo Zabeleta also restored to the line-up.

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And they got off to a fine start, with Arnautovic capitalising on some shocking defending from Everton, pouncing on a simple ball-over-the-top counter attack and having plenty of time to square unselfishly to Yarmolenko, who had a simple task of giving the east Londoners an 11th-minute lead.

The Yarmolenko-Arnautovic combination almost brought a second goal just moments later when they combined to fathom a near-post chance for Issa Diop, but Everton keeper Jordon Pickford gathered.

Pickford also had to be out sharply to deny Arnautovic, who broke free after French midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, in the Everton starting XI despite the death of his father, attempted a drag-back but was robbed.

But after they went behind, it took time for them to find their rhythm. There were signs of life after 25 minutes when left-back Lucas Digne crossed for Cenk Tosun, but his header was too close to Lukasz Fabianski, who saved with ease.

And West Ham increased their lead after 31 minutes and it was an uncharacteristic mistake by Pickford that did the damage. He inexplicably attempted to play the ball out and Mark Noble nipped in. Despite being fouled, referee Martin Atkinson allowed play to continue and Yarmolenko picked up the loose ball, cut inside onto his left foot and curled a shot around Pickford’s outstretched right hand.

Everton were stung into action, with Fabianski forced to tip over a Walcott volley from a narrow angle and parry away a Tosun shot after the forward was allowed to run at the heart of the West Ham defence.

The hosts, who made two changes from the side that drew 1-1 at home to Huddersfield, with Jonjoe Kenny replacing injured Seamus Coleman, and Idrissa Gueye coming in for Tom Davies, pulled one back with a well-worked goal on the stroke of half-time, shortly after the unfortunate Schneiderlin was replaced by Bernard.

Gueye pushed the ball wide to Kenny and his pinpoint cross from the right picked out Gylfi Sigurdsson, who gave Fabianksi no chance with a powerful header.

West Ham had a golden chance soon after the interval, when Pedro Obiang blazed over from eight yards after great work from the always-inventive Felipe Anderson, whose movement and creativity on the ball caused Everton problems all afternoon.

While West Ham’s defensive issues have been writ large all season, little has been said of Everton’s failings at the back.

And it was again a poor piece of defending that allowed West Ham to strike the killer blow after 61 minutes. Pedro Obiang and Arnautovic scythed through the static rearguard with a couple of one-twos and it was the Austrian who finally slipped the ball past Pickford for a 3-1 lead.

Everton’s attacking threat was sporadic thereafter and West Ham always looked more likely to add a fourth as the game wore on, although Everton substitute Oumar Niasse hit the bar with seven minutes of normal time remaining when it seemed easier to score.

While the Hammers may have got off the mark at the fifth attempt, Pellegrini’s birthday candles were blown out prematurely when Arnautovic limped off soon after his goal, and the Hammers will hope he makes a quick recovery with games upcoming against title contenders Chelsea and Manchester United.

They are not put of the woods just yet – but at least these vital three points are something for West Ham fans and Pellegrini to celebrate.