Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal helps Everton end tough week on positive note

West Ham 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 51)

Everton ended a difficult week on a positive note as Dominic Calvert-Lewin fired them to a 1-0 win at West Ham.

The Toffees were playing their first match since the death of chairman Bill Kenwright on Monday at the age of 78.

It had been emotional week, too, for Hammers manager David Moyes, who formed a close friendship with Kenwright during his 11-year spell in charge at Goodison Park.

But while West Ham slumped to a third defeat in eight days following reverses at Aston Villa and in the Europa League at Olympiacos, Everton were able to put some more breathing space between themselves and the bottom three with a second away win of the season.

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Calvert-Lewin’s goal was his 50th in the Premier League for Everton, joining Romelu Lukaku, Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill in reaching the half-century.

It came six minutes into the second half after a first half that will not live long in the memory.

West Ham created an early opportunity when Lucas Paqueta skilfully lifted the ball over Nathan Patterson and drilled in a low cross which Jarrod Bowen could only slice wide.

Moments later Paqueta showed the side of his game which so infuriates Moyes, gifting the ball to Jack Harrison who burst through only to fire too close to Hammers goalkeeper Alphonse Areola.

Ghana winger Mohammed Kudus, making first Premier League start for West Ham, showed he is already getting used to the darker arts of English football after he was chopped down by James Tarkowski.

As Jordan Pickford raced out of his goal to tell the youngster to get up, Kudus shoved the England goalkeeper away in a skirmish which earned both a booking.

Calvert-Lewin had his first chance from Vitalii Mykolenko’s cross but the striker headed over.

A torturous half was summed up by the audible sigh which echoed around the London Stadium when five minutes of stoppage-time was announced.

The game desperately needed a goal and it almost came through Bowen, who got on the end of a James Ward-Prowse free-kick but guided his header too high.

Instead the goal arrived at the other end after Jarrad Branthwaite won the ball back for Everton in midfield and fed Calvert-Lewin.

The former England forward played a one-two with Harrison before executing a Cruyff turn which left both Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd flat-footed and firing low past Areola.

It was Calvert-Lewin’s sixth goal in all competitions against the Hammers, the most he has scored against one single club.

Everton almost doubled the lead when Zouma and Aguerd got in another tangle but Areola got down well to tip Aboulaye Doucoure’s shot wide.

The closest West Ham came to an equaliser was a Said Benrahma volley which Pickford kept out at his near post to secure the points.

Aston Villa 3 (McGinn 17; Diaby 49; Lokyer 62 og) Luton Town 1 (Martinez 83 og)

Aston Villa continued their impressive home form as they beat Luton 3-1 to rack up a 12th successive Premier League win at Villa Park.

Unai Emery’s side have won every home league game since February 18th and made light work of the Hatters, with goals from John McGinn and Moussa Diaby giving them the upper hand before Luton captain Tom Lockyer put through his own net.

Villa have scored 13 goals in the last three Premier League home games as Emery’s team continue to show they are early contenders for the top four this season.

And with games against Nottingham Forest and Fulham coming up, they have a chance to solidify their position in the race before a clash with leaders Tottenham on November 26th.

This was a seventh defeat in 10 top-flight games for Luton, who have quickly found out how demanding life can be in the Premier League, though they did get on the scoresheet when Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez scored a late own goal.

They were up against it from the start as Villa were quick onto the attack and could have led inside four minutes.

Ollie Watkins collected a cross and teed up Nicolo Zaniolo, but the Italian’s cushioned effort drifted just wide of the post.

Only a brilliant double save from Thomas Kaminski stopped Villa from breaking the deadlock in the 11th minute as he superbly spread himself to block Watkins’ close-range effort and then reacted quickly to stop the follow-up effort.

There was no surprise when the hosts went ahead in the 17th minute and it was another masterpiece from set-piece coach Austin MacPhee’s playbook.

Douglas Luiz’s low corner was dummied by Moussa Diaby and it ended up with McGinn at the far post, with the Scotland international shifting the ball past Chiedozie Ogbene and into the far corner.

That might have given the Villa the platform to go on and flourish, but Luton did well to stifle them and the hosts were restricted for the rest of the first half in terms of clear-cut chances.

But that quickly changed after the restart as they doubled their lead in the 49th minute.

Lucas Digne’s cross fell kindly to Diaby 12 yards out and he drilled a low effort into the bottom corner.

The Hatters came from 2-0 down at Forest to draw 2-2 last weekend, but there was little chance of a repeat here.

Villa continued to probe and added a third just after the hour.

Diaby made good headway down the right and his cross was turned into his own net by Lockyer.

Leon Bailey could have made it four but he shot wide while McGinn did not connect with a right-footed shot when the goal was gaping.

Luton did not give up and got on the scoresheet in the 83rd minute, Villa defender Ezri Konsa’s header hitting the crossbar and rebounding off Martinez and into the net.