Goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley ensured that Ronald Koeman's Everton put an end to four Premier League matches without a win after they beat West Ham United 2-0 at Goodison Park this afternoon.
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Following a tame opening, the Toffees might have found the lead after 20 minutes when Idrissa Gueye turned in a strike towards goal, although frontman Lukaku was unable to bring things under control despite finding space in a dangerous area.
The Hammers slowly grew into the fixture and they might have earned an opener as Manuel Lanzini made light work of Ramiro Funes Mori, before firing his effort off target without troubling Joel Robles.
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Proceedings picked up in intensity during the second half and the game came to life in the 50th minute, when Lukaku made use of some industrious work from Yannick Bolasie to turn the ball beyond Adrian, earning the forward his 50th Premier League goal for Everton.
West Ham could have registered a quick reply soon after the goal, but they were thwarted by the excellence of Robles, who made up some impressive ground as he tipped Mark Noble's curling effort wide of the post.
The chance seemed to instil some urgency into Koeman's men and they made it 2-0 through Barkley, who started a brilliant move with Lukaku before making up all of 50 yards in order to send a smart finish past Adrian in the 76th minute and secure the hosts all three points.
Christopher Dodd
