West Ham United 0 - 4 Everton

Half-time: 0 - 1

Everton turned in a glowing second-half performance today that made everyone forget about the absence of recent Everton Captain and Player of the Year, Don Hutchison, who probably spent the weekend on Teesside...(sounds familiar!)

His midfield partner, John Collins, in danger of being roasted by the fans after confirming all the rumors about his wish to depart in the summer (if not before), actually played a key role in this great victory. 

And Joe-Max Moore of course had to get in on the act, scoring in his 5th successive match!  Even 'ardened auld 'ammers were impressed:

Robert Treloar of the West Ham United fanzine, Over Land and Sea wrote:

"The Hammers were annihilated at home by an Everton team who where in a rampant mood.  The Hammers were second to every ball and didn't even look like scoring throughout  the match."

"In contrast Everton gave the best footballing display I've seen at Upton Park in years"

As ways of taking your mind off the pain of going out of the FA Cup the week before go, this ranks as probably the most dramatic and most effective.  Most teams in Everton's parlous financial situation would have regarded the cup exit at the hands of Aston Villa as the effective end of the season.  Not Walter Smith's Everton.

Today, to a man, the Blues were simply magnificent as they notched up a third league win on the spin and racked up their seventh goal without reply in successive away matches following the 3-0 win at Wimbledon.  Once again, the increasingly impressive Joe-Max Moore was on the scoresheet, taking his tally to six in seven games.  The real star of the show, however, was the man who wears his blue heart on his sleeve, Nick Barmby, who marched away with the match ball after a devastating hat-trick that smashed the Hammers' paltry resistance.

Echoes of Gary Speed's last days at Goodison resounded as pre-match talk was, of course, dominated by Don Hutchison's withdrawal from the match squad and his having the captaincy stripped from him after he branded Everton's final contract offer a disgrace.  Given the circumstances and the facts that we hadn't won at Upton Park for six years and only Manchester United had beaten West Ham there this season, it would have been no surprise if we went down to a defeat.  A draw or a narrow win and we would have been over the moon, so we were not prepared for what followed!

Walter stuck with the 3-5-2 formation despite last week, going like-for-like against West Ham's midfield formation.  Ball returned to the starting line-up to replace Hutchison in what was the only change from a week ago.  An impeccably observed minute's silence preluded the game before Paul Alcock – either disappointed or relieved that Paulo Di Canio had failed a fitness test – got the game underway.

The early exchanges were hardly out of the way before we were 1-0 up.  Unsworth's cross was not dealt with by the home defence and after the ball sliced off Moore's shin as he challenged for a loose ball, Barmby swept home from 12 yards.  Back to scoring in the first quarter of an hour, a trait we seemed to have lost since Christmas.

To be brutally honest, had we given a better side the kind of space to play in the midfield that we offered West Ham, the scoreline could have been very different.  However, having said that, the defensive trio of Unsworth, Gough and Weir remained steadfastly resolute in front of Myhre and gave the Hammers little room to manoeuvre in the final third.

On the right flank, Sinclair threatened on the odd occasion and Wanchope was as unpredictable as ever but, on the whole, Harry Redknapp's team were restricted to long-range efforts by the likes of Moncur and Ferdinand.  At the other end, it became increasingly obvious that the more we ran at their defence, the less they – and referee Alcock – liked it.  The main official was abysmal in the first period to the point where he may as well have been wearing claret and blue. Luckily, it made little difference.

The second half began much as the first had finished, with West Ham huffing and puffing in midfield and Everton probing their defensive frailties looking to kill the game off. Collins and Xavier had looked like weak links during before the interval but they both grew in stature as the game went on.  Mark Pembridge was having a blinder.

The game's turning point came early on in the second half. Both Ball and Unsworth were beaten at the by-line by what may have been Sinclair (I can't remember) whose perfect cross was met by the head of Wanchope.  Myhre, who had been less than convincing against high balls and corners, got down low to his right and scooped the ball around the post Gordon Banks style to preserve the lead.

It was then that Everton turned on the style.  Collins and Pembridge transformed themselves into men on a mission and took command of the midfield while Barmby and Moore ran 'arry's not-so-'appy 'ammers ragged with inspired movement and attacking play, taking every opportunity to turn the defence inside out with the ball at their feet.

Collins burst through the midfield to smash a superb 20-yarder shot off the face of the crossbar before Joe-Max squandered two guilt-edged opportunities to open his account.  The first came from good work by Campbell on the left side of the area followed by a square cross that Moore side-footed wide from six yards.  He then screwed an even better chance wide of the post after again finding himself free of Ferdinand and Stimac.  Just when you started to worry that our outright domination but lack of further goals was going to be our undoing, Barmby finished off an absolute peach of a move by tucking the ball past Ilic to effectively kill the game.

I forget who and how many players were involved but a wonderful interchange of one-touch passes between Campbell, Barmby and Moore put the former England international through and he made no mistake.  It was Everton at their very magical best.

Three minutes later it was 3-0.  Barmby it was again tormenting and marauding through the home defence to fire in off Ilic and record what must be his first hat-trick in the Blues of Everton.  Half the team ended up in front of our stand with fists clenched and arms aloft as fans and team alike shared the occasion.  Not to be outdone, Joe-Max weighed in with his obligatory goal and the assist came from Barmby powering to the by-line, turning his marker and cuttting back a simple pass to the American who controlled it before slotting into the corner to make it an unbelievable 4-0.

Cue the West Ham exodus from the other three stands, loud cries of "Cheerio, Cheerio, Cheerio" and the full rendition of Goodison's Greatest Hits from the jubilant throng of Blues behind Ilic's goal.  The game was over and, in all honesty, not much happened in the remaining 15 minutes expect for West Ham knocking their best chance against Myhre's right-hand post and Campbell – who genuinely deserved a goal – burst clear and thought he'd made it five only for Ilic to pluck his intended lob out of the sky at full stretch.

Walter's boys milked the attention with exhibition football and Barmby went off to a standing ovation with a couple of minutes to go allowing Mitch Ward a few moments of first-team action.  Realising the game was up and that he had tried his best but failed the keep a good team down, Alcock blew the whistle on the Hammer's misery leaving the Blues to acknowledge the fans and offer their afternoon's work as an apology for last weekend's cup misery. Apology accepted lads.

• Myhre  6 - Apart from his stunning save to deny West Ham an equaliser in the second half, Thomas looked a little nervy on high balls into the box which was a little worrying.
• Unsworth  9 - As solid as a rock against his old team.  His was a no-nonsense display and what was most pleasing was that he hardly resorted to the long diagonal cross-field pass at all.
• Gough  8 - As reliable as ever, Gough is one player we are going to sorely miss if, as expected, he goes back to the States this summer.
• Weir  8 - Like Gough, a real revelation this season and it is no surprise that he turned in another excellent performance at the heart of the defence.
• Xavier  7 - When Barmby is running the show, Everton's attack operates at a 100 miles an hour which requires quick thinking, quick feet and quick reactions, none of which Abel appears to have but he did have a very good second half when he warmed to the task and got stuck in well.
• Pembridge  8 - He had an excellent game, in terms of both his defensive responsibilities and his role in the Blues attacking force.  On the basis of the Wimbledon game and now this, he is obviously far better suited to a central midfield berth.
• Collins  7 - I still won't be sorry to see him go. Today was a day for a player of his stature to eclipse the rest but while he did have a very good second half when he showed some nice touches, he still didn't live up to the reputation he brought to Goodison.
• Barmby  10 - This was Nick Barmby at his best and when he is on this kind of form he is scintillating to watch.  West Ham had no answer to his movement, nor when he ran directly at them.  Man of the match.  If he doesn't get an England call up on that basis, he never will.
• Moore  10 - His attitude is fantastic and this was definitely his best game yet.  At 4-0 up with a minute to go, he was still winning tackles on the touchline at the half-way line.  Young Franny Jeffers could take a leaf out of JMM's book in this respect.  I have been impressed no end with Joe-Max since he arrived and he is just getting better and better.  Today he showed off an impressive array of skills, determination and tenacity, growing in confidence as the game went on.
• Campbell  9 - What can you say about King Kev that hasn't been said already?  He didn't get on the scoresheet, but his all-round contribution was superb and he was a constant thorn in the Hammers' side.  Isn't it great to think that the Premiership's second-highest scoring team has an attack that cost a mere £3M!

Team 9 - The overall display was stunning, although they did give West Ham a bit too much room in the midfield during the first half.  In the second, there was only one team in it and I'm sure the statisticians will tell us the last time Everton scored more that 4 away from home.

WHO says you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? Walter Smith's decision to drop and transfer-list his captain, the Scotland midfielder Don Hutchison, for claiming his contract offer from the club was a joke, may have been seen by some as professional suicide, but it was entirely vindicated as Everton ran riot over a demoralised West Ham side.

All eyes were on Joe Cole to see if he could force his way into Kevin Keegan's plans for the summer, but the talk afterwards was of Nick Barmby.  His international career may be just a distant memory but there was even talk of a re-call after his hat-trick left the home defence in tatters.  For the second match in succession at Upton Park, West Ham conceded four goals.

Harry Redknapp, the West Ham manager, was at a loss as he tried to explain his side's collapse.  Certainly, he was not helped by the loss of key players.  Goalkeeper Shaka Hislop was out with a broken leg, Paolo Di Canio also missed out with a hamstring strain while Frank Lampard was suspended.

In came Sasa Ilic, Charlton's out-of-favour Yugoslavian goalkeeper and on loan at West Ham since Friday.  Ilic soon lost his place in the Charlton side after their promotion to the Premiership and on his return to first-team football the flamboyant goalkeeper did himself few favours.

The match was just eight minutes old when Michael Ball sent over what looked a decidedly ordinary cross.  Ilic flapped at it and though Joe-Max Moore's shot was blocked, Barmby had an open goal for the follow-up and he made no mistake.

Without Di Canio – who would have found himself up against Paul Alcock, the referee who he infamously pushed to the ground last season – West Ham lacked creativity and coupled with the suspension of Lampard, the creative onus was firmly on Cole, who played with Lampard in the England Under-21s in midweek.

Unfortunately Cole did not produce one of his better performances. "He's only a young boy and he's got to learn when to pass and when to dribble.  He was up against John Collins, hardly the toughest midfielder around, and he didn't have his best game," was Redknapp's verdict.

Indeed, Collins, operating from just in front of the defence, gave a fine performance keeping the likes of Cole quiet while launching endless counter-attacks with his vast array of passes.  Collins, too, may be on his way out of Goodison Park after informing his manager of his desire to leave.

Redknapp chose to pair Paolo Wanchope and Paul Kitson in the absence of Di Canio and the Costa Rican, who has had his troubles with the Upton Park faithful already this season, rarely figured but for a header that Thomas Myhre did well to save.

"I've had about four or five players to work with all week, what with internationals, and I had a feeling this would happen," Redknapp said.  "They come back from Turkey, Croatia or whatever and they seem to think they're still there."

The one consolation for Redknapp was the return of the remarkably resilient Stuart Pearce, who, after five-and-a-half months out with a broken leg, made a positive return.  "The best two players on the field were both 38, Stuart Pearce and Richard Gough," stated Redknapp with a rather depressed air.

With the substitutes' bench comprising of defenders and a goalkeeper, Redknapp had little choice but to soldier on with his chosen 11, and though they had more of the possession in the second half, gaping holes at the back were all too inviting for Everton.

Not long after Collins had hammered a 30-yard effort against Ilic's crossbar, Everton again breached the home goal for their second.  Ball's long pass found Kevin Campbell who, while holding off Igor Stimac, rolled the ball into Barmby's path and the diminutive midfielder turned the ball past Ilic with ease.

Three minutes later, and with a third of the match left, Barmby settled matters as his shot deflected off a defender, over Ilic and into the net for his first hat-trick for the club.

Rio Ferdinand hardly helped matters as West Ham were coming to terms with this defeat. The defender played a back pass far too short for Ilic and in nipped Barmby who weighed up his options before slipping the ball to Moore.  The American took his sixth goal in seven games with glee.

When asked after the game what attracted him into taking on Moore, Smith gave a few reasons before admitting the fact that the player was free helped matters.

And so Everton move up to seventh place, heady heights for a club more associated with the wrong end of the table.  But for how long can they stay there, with Hutchison and Collins seemingly on their way?

Smith refused to comment on the Hutchison situation, but if Everton can play like this more often he will not be missed.

THIS was a game of numerous absences and one significant return.  Among the absentees were West Ham's two first-choice goalkeepers.  They therefore borrowed the Yugoslav international, Sasa Ilic, from Charlton Athletic.  Alas, he was doomed to make an unhappy start.

After seven minutes David Unsworth – who once wore West Ham colours – sent in a long, high cross from the left.  Ilic came out to meet it, challenged by Kevin Campbell and decided to punch, rather than to catch.  The ball seemed to slide off Campbell's head.  It reached the American attacker Joe-Max Moore, who scored four goals for the club in his first five games.  This time, however, it was his pass which mattered.  It enabled Nick Barmby easily to beat Ilic and put Everton ahead.

Everton dropped Don Hutchison and lost Francis Jeffers, injured playing for England Under-21s against Argentina.  That was the game in which illogically, if not perversely, Joe Cole was left out of the England team until the second half.  Yesterday, he was soon showing his skills.  For those who hoped somewhat ghoulishly for a rematch between referee Paul Alcock and Paolo Di Canio, who pushed him to the ground at Hillsborough, disappointment was in store.  Alcock officiated in the game, but Di Canio was absent, injured.

Frank Lampard was suspended and West Ham were clearly missing his contribution in central midfield and the wiles and inventions of Di Canio up front.  Shots on target were at a premium.  By contrast, Everton on the occasions when they broke looked sharp and threatening.  Not least with Moore, who was generously released from his country from the Gold Cup Tournament.  Having set up Barmby's goal he almost engineered another 20 minutes later, crowning a smooth sustained run in the inside-left position with a precise pass to a largely unattended Campbell.

Campbell's right-foot shot was low, strong and accurate and Ilic did very well to throw himself across goal and turn it aside.  Early in the second half, we saw a dramatic couple of minutes.  First, meeting Steve Lomas's long cross on the far post, Paulo Wanchope put in a header forcing Thomas Myrhe to concede a corner.  Almost at once, a 30-yard shot by John Collins bounced off the West Ham bar.  Then Campbell made a chance Moore banged over.

Two more goals in three minutes by Barmby wrapped things up.  First, he combined splendidly with Campbell, to put in the return pass.  Next, after Mark Pembridge pulled the ball back, Barmby's shot went in, embarrassingly, over Ilic's outstretched legs.  As if this were not enough, an error by Rio Ferdinand enabled Barmby to find Moore, whose shot went in off Pearce, on the line.

Nick Barmby had the sort of day footballers dream about at Upton Park, scoring the first hat-trick of his career and then setting up the American Joe-Max Moore to complete a rout of the unpredictable home side.  In contrast, Sasa Ilic, who had been looking forward to this sort of opportunity ever since dropping out of the Premiership with Charlton Athletic last May, suffered only nightmares.

If Ilic slept at all last night, it must have been to visions of yellow-shirted forwards bearing down on him as his new colleagues in the claret and blue obligingly stood aside.

Having spent most of this season on the substitutes' bench, Ilic's chance came with a loan transfer across the River Thames to cover for Shaka Hislop, who has a broken leg, and Craig Forrest, who is absent at the Gold Cup.

Within eight minutes the goalkeeper had failed to deal with David Unsworth's cross.  Moore's shot was blocked and Barmby began the most successful afternoon of his career by banging in the rebound.

The depression over Everton following an FA Cup defeat at home to Aston Villa and the contractual row involving their captain, Don Hutchison, was immediately lifted, and by half-time their vociferous followers must have realised they were onto a good thing.  West Ham were deficient all over the pitch.  A hamstring injury prevented Paolo di Canio turning out for a reunion with Paul Alcock, the referee he left on his back 18 months ago at Hillsborough, and along with Frank Lampard he was badly missed.

Stuart Pearce, the former England defender, was rushed back five months after breaking a leg and, despite his evident rustiness, he still looked the least vulnerable of his side's three defenders, while predictably demonstrating more commitment to the cause than some of his team-mates were able to muster.

Paulo Wanchope's header after 51 minutes was the first occasion on which the visiting goalkeeper, Thomas Myhre, was tested and, apart from catching Pearce's 35-yard free-kick, that was the extent of his work for the afternoon.

John Collins, in the meantime, had hit the crossbar and Moore had clipped Kevin Campbell's clever cut-back too high.  Two more goals by Barmby, who had the decency to look as surprised as anyone, then ensured that West Ham were on the way to only their second home defeat in the Premiership this season.

In the 64th minute, a classic counter-attack led to Barmby playing a neat wall-pass with Campbell before slipping the return beyond Ilic.  The goalkeeper was then made to look silly by the hat-trick goal three minutes later, going down early and finding himself deceived by a minor deflection off the ineffectual Joe Cole.

Rio Ferdinand, another West Ham youngster who did his case for a summer in the Low Countries no good, had stood and watched that move develop.  He was statuesque again as Barmby nipped bet-ween him and Ilic, and then fed Moore for his sixth goal in seven Premiership games.

"One or two players keep telling me they are internationals, but they have done themselves no favours today," the West Ham manager, Harry Redknapp, said pointedly.

"It was a woeful performance and I've told them exactly what I think of it," he added. "Too many of them keep reading how great they are and they should be in this team or another, and they were brought down to earth in this one."

Man of the match: Nick Barmby (Everton). Tore an indecisive West Ham defence to shreds.

WHENEVER Don Hutchison's name was mentioned in his absence, the Everton players found themselves talking in the kind of reverential tones usually reserved for funerals.  Hutchison's brinkmanship over his new contract has been rooted in the belief that he has been the catalyst for their change in fortunes.  Alas, in describing Everton's financial overtures as "a disgrace", Hutchison has now turned himself into a dissident and his expected departure was preceded by ignominy when he was relieved of the captaincy and dropped.  

Everton are becoming used to watching their heroes depart and they will doubtless overcome Hutchison's loss.  Hutchison, in fact, was the successor in 1997 to Gary Speed, who left for Newcastle United in acrimonious circumstances.  Duncan Ferguson also joined Newcastle last season, but Kevin Campbell has proved to be a worthy replacement.  If and when Hutchison leaves, it is thought that Sean Gregan, the Preston North End midfield player, will arrive at Goodison Park.

What might be concerning Everton even more this morning are the futures of Richard Gough, John Collins and Nick Barmby.  Gough was singled out for praise by Stuart Pearce, the West Ham United defender, who returned from a broken leg on Saturday, and there is no doubt that, if Gough does not decide to extend his Indian summer, it will leave a big hole in the Everton defence.

Collins's performance suggested that, contrary to his statements, he could yet settle in English football, while Barmby will soon be interesting clubs again if he continues to display the form that earned him his first hat-trick in senior football.

His first goal, after a mistake by Ilic, the goalkeeper, was followed by two more in four minutes after the break and he provided the fourth for Joe-Max Moore two minutes later.  "The whole club is more positive this season," Barmby said.  "Everyone is contributing to our success, the manager has adapted to English football and we don't think a place in European competition next season is out of the question."

West Ham's mood is in such stark contrast to that of Everton's that Harry Redknapp, the manager, took some of his frustrations out on Joe Cole.  "Cole will come up against better manmarkers than Collins in his time," Redknapp said.  "The little boy has got to learn when to pass and when to dribble."

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