Everton scramble crucial win over West Ham to take pressure off Frank Lampard

Neal Maupay’s first goal since February saw Everton’s summer signing end the club’s winless start to the season with a 1-0 victory over fellow strugglers West Ham.

The Frenchman, who has scored in all three of his Premier League starts against the Hammers, struck with a well-taken goal that was a rare highlight in a match between two teams who have endured difficult starts.

His goal made light of the continued absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has not featured this season because of a knee injury on the eve of the campaign, after Frank Lampard erred on the side of caution by giving him until after the international break to regain full fitness.

Initially that was at the expense of any attacking threat with Maupay relatively anonymous, Demarai Gray off his game and even Anthony Gordon, their one bright spark so far, struggling to make his mark.

In fact, only Idrissa Gana Gueye, on his first start since returning to the club from Paris St Germain in the summer, provided any real class with his reading of the game in a poor first half.

But when your defensive midfielder, a week away from his 33rd birthday, is the best player in a team that had scored only four league goals against opponents who had managed three, it highlights the issues Lampard has going forward.

"It was in the way."