Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley were back among the goals as Everton ran out 2-0 winners over West Ham at Goodison Park.

For the Belgian striker, his ninth goal in an impressive track record against the Hammers came after he was teed up by Yannick Bolasie early in the second half.

It was also Lukaku’s 50th Premier League goal for the Blues as Ronald Koeman’s side consolidated their place of sixth in the table.

Barkley secured the home victory just 14 minutes from time as he rifled home after Lukaku had found him free in the penalty area.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park…

Lukaku haunts the Hammers again

 

There appear to be only three certainties in this world; life, death and, seemingly, Romelu Lukaku scoring against West Ham United.

This was his ninth goal in successive outings against the Hammers as his 50th-minute opener extended his Premier League tally in an Everton shirt to a half-century.

He also became the fastest Blues player to reach 50 league goals in the modern era, joining an illustrious fraternity of Duncan Ferguson and Tim Cahill.

Tthere was more to Lukaku’s feat than simply reaching the milestone; he did it faster than any other Everton player for almost 40 years.

Only Bob Latchford, who did it in a game less than the Belgian’s 113, in 1977 holds the distinction of being the quickest in history.

But scoring goals is not all that Lukaku brings to the table, as he proved in teeing up Ross Barkley to double the advantage. He truly is a special all-round player.

Barkley rediscovers his swagger

 

This is exactly what Ross Barkley needed.

Much maligned, with good reason, in recent weeks after failing to shine, Goodison Park was treated to a true sight of the Wavertree-born playmaker.

Adrian’s one-armed save gained inevitable plaudits to deny Barkley midway through the first half but it was a deflection which had spared his blushes.

A second time around, there was no such fortune.

Barkley was the original architect, finding Lukaku in acres of space, before the compliment was returned for him to rifle home in front of the Gwladys Street.

Punching the air in delight, you could tell exactly what it meant to the 23-year-old. A subsequent standing ovation was no less than he deserved this afternoon.

Stand-ins finally stepping up

 

A familiar complaint of Everton’s credible start to the season has been the lack of quality in depth at Koeman’s disposal until the January window.

Chief among them has been the left-back role, with Bryan Oviedo struggling to fill the void of Leighton Baines’ absence in recent weeks.

But the Costa Rican appeared to have turned a corner in this encounter with a solid performance which, largely, kept the Londoners’ attacks under wraps.

Ramiro Funes Mori, too, offered redeeming qualities following a spell in which he had threatened to leave Everton without regular first-team football.

His inclusion at the expense of Phil Jagielka, not 100 per cent fit, threatened to be a gamble as West Ham swarmed but also held firm for the best part.

Koeman hailed Joel Robles as ‘fantastic’ after he overcame an initial siege from Michail Antonio, Pedro Obiang and Dimitri Payet before the quarter-hour mark.

Additions will still need to be made in January, with Everton still planning to scour the transfer market, but the recruitment process may not be as drastic as first feared.

Koeman avoids Chelsea selection headache

 

It was inevitable that one of Everton’s midfield enforcers would come unstuck on the disciplinary tightrope ahead of next weekend’s trip to Chelsea.

The smart money would have been on Gareth Barry, who has been no stranger to picking up routine bookings over the course of this season.

Losing the former England international’s influence for the Stamford Bridge clash would have been a far costlier miss than partner in crime Idrissa Gueye.

But it was the Senegalese player who fell afoul, receiving a cheap yellow card after tangling with Pedro Obiang midway through the first half.

Koeman will be thankful that Barry at least prevented his selection headache being intensified for the jaunt to the capital in six days’ time.