Everton returned to winning ways in the Premier League this afternoon with a 1-0 victory over in-form West Ham United at Goodison Park.
Steven Pienaar almost gave the Toffees the lead right at the start of the second half, but his measured effort from inside the box came back off the post.
They did eventually break the deadlock with just eight minutes of the match remaining, however, as Romelu Lukaku slotted home having been found by Leighton Baines's pass.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at an important win for the Merseysiders.
Match statistics
Everton
Shots: 22
On target: 3
Possession: 69%
Corners: 11
Fouls: 9
West Ham
Shots: 6
On target: 1
Possession: 31%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 8
Was the result fair?
Yes. The hosts dominated possession and created the most chances during the match, so they deserved to come away with all three points. However, anything more than a one-goal win would have flattered Everton as they struggled to break down a stubborn West Ham defence. The fact that they had 69% possession yet only managed three shots on target gives some indication of how hard the visitors' defence made things for Everton, and it was certainly easy to see why they have recorded the most clean sheets in the league this season. It was by no means a thriller, but the second half was much improved from the first and Everton could have taken the lead straight after the break when Pienaar hit the post. West Ham also created openings in the second period, but they only managed one shot on target so can have no complaints at not having won this game.
Everton's performance
For most of the match, it looked like an Everton performance the type of which we saw a lot of at the start of the season. The hosts dominated possession but lacked a certain cutting edge when going forward. They struggled to really threaten the Hammers' defence for large periods, with Gerard Deulofeu and Steven Naismith the only two to come close in the first half. Things did improve after the break and they were certainly the team who looked most like scoring, but there was no guarantee that West Ham would buckle. It was certainly not the best performance they will produce under Martinez, but the important thing was to pick up three points and get their fading Champions League hopes back on track. They did that today, so manager Roberto Martinez will be pleased with the overall display.
West Ham's performance
Sam Allardyce's side are not exactly renowned for playing beautiful football, but their style is certainly effective. That looked like being the case again this afternoon until Lukaku claimed all three points for his side late on. They were forced to work very hard off the ball for large periods as Everton controlled possession, but they did so and defended admirably against wave after wave of attacks, even if the Toffees weren't too incisive with their play. Andy Carroll came on as a tactical change in the 27th minute and made a big difference, so that is a positive for the visitors to take out of this game. Overall, Allardyce will not be too upset. He knew his side's winning streak would come to an end sooner rather than later and a narrow defeat to Everton at Goodison is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Romelu Lukaku: The Belgian may have only been on the pitch for 30 minutes or so, but he made a big difference to the game and announced his return from injury in style. He gave the West Ham defence a completely different challenge to Naismith, and it was one that James Collins and James Tomkins struggled to deal with at times. His pace and power caused problems and he went on to score the all-important winner to move his side back into sixth in the table.
Biggest gaffe
There were no costly gaffes in today's game, so this dubious award goes to John Stones for what was the closest we got to that. The young defender took a poor touch in a very dangerous area in the second half, gifting the ball straight to Andy Carroll. Carroll's powerful strike whistled over the crossbar, but it was not too far away and it would have been a gutting way to concede a goal having dictated the match for so long.
Referee performance
Jonathan Moss made a few questionable decisions today, most notably when he failed to award Kevin Nolan a free kick right on the edge of the box in the first half. He also brandished the yellow card a couple of times when it wasn't necessary or deserved. Overall, he didn't make any major errors that will be back page news tomorrow morning, but it wasn't his best game.
What next?
Everton: Next up for the Toffees is an away trip to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
West Ham: West Ham, meanwhile, are no longer in the FA Cup and, with the international break, their next match comes in two weeks' time when they face Stoke City away.
Barney Corkhill
