The slump being experienced by Merseyside’s other powerhouse has, for the time being at least, halted. A sense of crisis may still be enveloping Liverpool but for their neighbours came respite in the east London gloom yesterday. Goals in each half at Upton Park brought a run of seven matches without victory to an end for Everton, albeit with a sense of immense relief.

Having taken a 2-0 lead with some ease, David Moyes’ side were made to scrap for their lives in the final 25 minutes of this contest as West Ham drove forward in search of an equaliser and created enough chances to have gone on and won the game.

It only added to the visitors’ frustration that it was one of their own who gave the hosts any hope of salvaging something from a game that seemed lost. With what seemed a straightforward goal-line clearance from Junior Stanislas’ delicate lob on 64 minutes, Tony Hibbert somehow managed to drive the ball into his own net. Cue the West Ham assault.

Zavon Hines, playing in the place of the injured Carlton Cole, had two chances in the space of a minute to score while the substitute Alessandro Diamanti also came close with an excellent curling drive from the edge of the area.

There were more chances later on but ultimately, West Ham could not secure an equaliser and Everton were victorious, thanks to Louis Saha’s low shot on 27 minutes and Dan Gosling’s strike a minute before Hibbert’s aberration.

The youngster was able to score following Yakubu’s strong running across the edge of West Ham’s area. Everton, then, are back to winning ways. West Ham, meanwhile, slide back into the relegation zone following this defeat and Hull’s late win against Stoke.

Premier LeagueWest Ham UnitedEvertonSachin Nakraniguardian.co.uk