West Ham 1 Everton 2:EVERTON SECURED a much-needed first win in five Premier League games while West Ham slipped back into the relegation zone. Louis Saha, who missed the midweek Europa League defeat to Benfica with a calf problem, netted from 20 yards against the run of play on 26 minutes. Dan Gosling added a second just after the hour, but the Hammers made a fight of it following an own goal by Tony Hibbert.
Everton deployed five in midfield and were content to let West Ham have plenty of the ball, waiting patiently for their chance.
Then, out of nothing, Everton took the lead. Tim Cahill held the ball up on the edge of the West Ham box, before laying it back to Saha. The French striker, 20 yards out, drilled his first-time shot low into the bottom right corner.
Everton snatched a second after 64 minutes. Cahill and Ayegbeni Yakubu battled for possession at the edge of the penalty area, before the substitute pushed the ball out to Gosling on the overlap down the right.
His first shot was blocked by Robert Green, but the ball fell straight back to the winger, who this time drilled it into the net.
West Ham hit back moments later. Diamanti sent a deep pass over the Everton defence, on to which Stanislas ran. The forward clipped his shot past the advancing Howard, but the ball did not appear to have enough pace to roll over the line and Hibbert looked set to hack clear – only for the defender to boot the ball into his own net as Upton Park erupted.
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