Everton secured a first Premier League win of the season against West Ham.
Neal Maupay opened his account for Frank Lampard’s side early in the second half as he cushioned a pass from Alex Iwobi before rifling home a low volley.
Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:
Blues rediscover winning habit
The last time that Goodison Park tasted a victory, it proved to be priceless.
Much has changed since Everton preserved their top-flight status for a 69th consecutive season on the back of that heady night against Crystal Palace.
Falling into the relegation zone does not carry the same levels of jeopardy as four months ago, but Frank Lampard’s side still faced a potential reckoning.
Losing an unbeaten run of four Premier League matches against a struggling West Ham would have called the Blues’ incremental progress into question.
Pressure on Lampard, similarly, perennially appears just one bad defeat away.
Instead, it was David Moyes left feeling the heat at his old stomping ground as Everton ground out a win bearing their all former manager’s hallmarks.
Solid foundations, a diligent midfield and settled by a clinical strike, the Scot would have been proud to claim this result as his own if roles were reversed.
Borrowing from the Moyesian playbook may have been more by accident than design but Lampard’s body of work this season is finally beginning to pay off.
Maupay offers the best of both worlds
Despite his much-anticipated return to training. Lampard resist the temptation to throw Dominic Calvert-Lewin back into the fold at the earliest opportunity.
Erring on the side of caution was understandable from the Everton manager, given his ongoing susceptibility to injury over the past 12 months or so.
Neal Maupay’s recent arrival not only made Lampard’s decision an easy one but also vindicated it by opening his account with a swivelled half-volley.
🎯 Maupay’s off the mark! pic.twitter.com/j2OpR0b6PK #EFC #COYB #EVEWHU
— Everton FC news (@ClickEverton) September 18, 2022
The 26-year-old’s heatmap in this game also tells its own story as he routinely tracked back and was haring West Ham’s defence at every given opportunity.
More than that, though, the striker offered the same qualities which Calvert-Lewin had been forced to sacrifice in order to become a ruthless finisher.
Pressing and poaching were seemingly incompatible; a tireless work rate supposedly diminished his ability to arrive in key goal-scoring positions.
Yet Maupay conclusively proved that the two can go hand in hand.
Begovic on the beach at No.1
Replacing Jordan Pickford appeared an onerous task for Asmir Begovic.
A four week injury lay-off for England’s imperious No.1 threatened to leave a tough act for his understudy to follow against a win-hungry West Ham United.
But Begovic could have been forgiven for believing he was still living by the seaside in Bournemouth on the back of this latest, largely untroubled, foray.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international could not have asked for a more leisurely afternoon where the visitors were restricted to a handful of chances.
James Tarkowski and Conor Coady’s watertight centre-back pairing ensured that Begovic’s reflexes were largely untested throughout the 95 minutes.
One-time Everton loanee Kurt Zouma and erstwhile transfer target Maxwell Cornet went closest to forcing the 35-year-old into any goalmouth action.
Experience undoubtedly plays a part in these situations and Begovic’s wealth of it meant he was able to weather the visitors’ half-chances with ease.
All the veteran stopper was missing was a deckchair.