Everton shipped two late second-half goals in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham.

Sean Dyche’s side spurned a chance to break the deadlock on the stroke of half time when Alphonse Areola correctly guessed to deny Beto’s penalty.

The Portuguese striker atoned for his spot kick miss just 10 minutes into the second half by opening the scoring with a header from James Garner’s cross.

But the visitors struck back inside just six minutes when one-time Blues loanee Kurt Zouma met a James Ward-Prowse’s corner to power home.

Tomas Soucek handed the Hammers the lead at the start of added time with a superb strike inside the penalty area to beat Jordan Pickford comfortably.

David Moyes clinched a third victory on his former stomping ground in the 95th minute when Edson Alvarez cut through the Blues at a counterattack.

Here were the key talking points from Goodison Park:

Blues must learn to help themselves

Never has the adage that goals win games been more applicable for Everton.

West Ham produced three, two of them inflicted deep into added time, while their hosts were left to ponder about what might have been once more.

Sean Dyche’s side created more than ample opportunities with 11 shots on target to the visitors’ five but remain plagued by a season-long problem.

A tenth winless outing marks the Blues’ worst return since 1994/95, when they drew a blank in their opening 12 games discovering a semblance of normality.

But with 12 games of the current campaign remaining, the issue is far more pressing and it’s difficult to see where their next maximum points come from.

Culpability for the ongoing lack of finesse rests entirely with the Goodison dressing room and their inability to find the target despite numerous openings.

The 10-point deduction excuse no longer washes after Monday’s reduction and Dyche’s players need to rediscover their Midas touch in front of goal.

At some point before it’s too late, Everton must to learn to help themselves.

Dyche remains far too reactive

Although blameless for his side’s profligacy, Dyche still carries the can for other areas of this defeat beyond their abject stoppage-time surrender.

West Ham’s three goals were derived from an alarming lack of defensive diligence while the Everton manager himself was also under the microscope.

For large parts of this season, the Goodison faithful have become audibly frustrated by his steadfast refusal to enact proactive changes from the bench.

That trend continued shortly after Tomas Soucek was afforded the time and space to fire a sumptuous half-volley into the back of Jordan Pickford’s net.

With the wind taken out of Everton’s sails, Dyche believed it was the moment to introduce additional firepower in both Youssef Chermiti and Lewis Dobbin.

Faced with an unenviable task of making an impact at 2-1 down and time running out, the pair predictably struggled to leave any meaningful impression.

Had Dyche sought to unleash the pair earlier, when the score remained deadlocked and Everton in the attacking ascendancy, it may have worked.

True to form, however, he held off until after reaching a point of no return.

Is Goodison hiatus perfectly timed?

Home may be where the heart is but Evertonians would currently beg to differ.

With Goodison’s days increasingly numbered, an appetite to savour every last moment was not reciprocated after no league victories in over three months.

Saturday’s mass exodus began long before Jarrod Bowen and Edson Alvarez had accelerated the footfall by carving through the hosts’ backline with ease.

Such scenes are par for the course with a team in the grip of malaise and facing a third relegation battle, yet there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

Owing to the Merseyside derby’s postponement on March 17 and a trio of away fixtures, Goodison will not host top-flight football for the next five weeks.

Far be it for the Grand Old Lady’s battle-hardened devotees to welcome an prolonged spell away from their spiritual home but it could be a saving grace.

The blue half of L4 is an increasingly joyless place amid the on-field turmoil, looming second FFP case and a takeover which continues to drag its heels.

While it will not cure those ills, the Goodison crowd might welcome a break from the rigmarole of this soul-sapping experience, on home soil at least.