For once, David Moyes could not celebrate the most Moyesian of triumphs. Over an 11-year reign at Goodison Park, there was often the sense that when Everton really needed a win, they would find a way to grind one out. It might be ugly, it could be effective and it would probably be 1-0. On the Scot’s return to Merseyside, he was greeted with a familiar outcome. The problem for Moyes was that his West Ham suffered as a result of the Evertonian graft and grit he used to imbue. They were left in the relegation zone by his own methods.
A reunion was a happier affair for former Hammer Frank Lampard. A belated first victory means Everton’s start to the season is transformed into a platform. The previous time they claimed three points, against Crystal Palace in May, it secured their survival on a seminal evening that ended with Lampard bouncing up and down on the roof of an executive box. This was not quite of the same proportions but it felt vital nonetheless. It was an endorsement of an overhaul, a sense of justification for Lampard’s rebuilding project.
