JARROD BOWEN RETURNED with a bang as West Ham inflicted more away-day pain on Everton with a 2-1 victory.
The attacker, back after a month out with a foot injury, hit his 13th goal of the season to floor Frank Lampard.
West Ham led through Aaron Cresswell’s spectacular free-kick but were pegged back by Mason Holgate’s deflected effort.
Toffees boss Lampard had questioned his players’ bottle – or words to that effect – after they capitulated at Crystal Palace in the FA Cup last time out, but they folded again just five minutes after equalising when Bowen struck.
To compound Lampard’s misery they finished the match with 10 men after captain Michael Keane was sent off.
The travel-sick Toffees still boast the worst away record in the country and are only one place above the drop zone in what has been a torrid season.
West Ham are still just about challenging for a place in the top four and look at the very least capable of back-to-back top-six finishes, something manager David Moyes used to deliver regularly when he was in charge at Goodison Park.
They sniffed blood from the off with Michail Antonio seeing a shot blocked by Keane, before Jordan Pickford held a curler from Bowen.
Then a slick move involving Antonio, Bowen and Said Benrahma sent Pablo Fornals through on goal, but Pickford was out quickly to make the block.
Everton could have taken the lead on the half-hour mark when Alex Iwobi slipped Richarlison in behind. The Brazilian nudged the ball round Hammers keeper Lukasz Fabianksi, but full-back Ryan Fredericks got back to clear the danger.
Moments later West Ham did go ahead, in sensational fashion. After Bowen was fouled by Holgate, Cresswell curled a stunning free-kick beyond the wall and Pickford into the top corner.
Richarlison should have equalised before half-time after giving Fredericks the slip, but his attempted lob floated tamely over the crossbar.
After the break a mistake by Benrahma and Declan Rice allowed Iwobi to slip the ball through to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose angled drive clipped the bar.
The equaliser came in the 53rd minute when an unconvincing punch from Fabianski at a corner fell to Holgate – who was only on the pitch after an injury to Donny Van De Beek in the warm-up.
The midfielder fired through a crowd of players and into the net with the help of a big deflection off the foot of Fornals.
But just five minutes later West Ham retook the lead when Bowen clipped home the rebound after Pickford saved Antonio’s shot.
Keane, booked in the first half for cynically pulling back Antonio as he was about to race clear, fouled the striker again with 25 minutes left to earn a second yellow card and cap another miserable road trip for Lampard.
Legend and class act of a man! From a Dublin fan.
@Robbie Delaney: Hmm. https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ewan-mackenna-theres-a-long-line-of-uncomfortable-truths-following-mickey-harte-that-cannot-be-shaken-off-37269637.html
@Robbie Delaney: would a class act of a man write character references in defence of a r*pist who threw the woman out of a van and left her there? I’m not so sure to be honest
@COYBIG: if he’s asked to do a character reference why wouldn’t he?
@Gaius Gracchus: what on earth was your point in dredging up that biased article???No-one ever said MH isn’t flawed like the rest of us but at the end of the day I have the height of respect for him as a manager, a parent, a cancer survivor and basically an all round decent and honest man.
@Michael B: personally I’d feel very uncomfortable providing a positive character reference to a man who admitted to sexual offences
@Michael B: are you actually serious????? You would write a character reference for a man to pled guilty to raping a woman and firing her out of his van?
@Frank Dubogovik: because it’s important to understand what actually drives him. The character reference, and lack of understanding why it was a problem, is an issue. Everyone has experienced death and tragedy, but with Harte it seems to be the distraction from his inadequacies, rather than than a driving force. There is zero chance of him stepping down, and zero chance of the country board replacing him, and this hold on power will mean lack of a fresh vision for all ages, and years in the wilderness for Tyrone.
@Gaius Gracchus: You’ve just reminded me why I never liked Mickey Harte!!!
@Gaius Gracchus: hmm! The Independent. Then it all has to be true….
@Gaius Gracchus:
That article is an appalling piece of journalism.
@Paddy Reid: how about this one… Straight to the point https://amp.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/womans-fury-as-sex-attacker-given-reference-by-gaa-boss-harte-is-jailed-for-twoandahalf-years-29102469.html
@Paddy Reid: that’s not the point
@Gaius Gracchus: Ewan McKenna wrote that, enough said
@Dublin Gooner: What difference does it make who wrote it?
@Gaius Gracchus: what a mor0n you are. Any one can google an ad from a newspaper hack have you no independent thought analysis of your own ??
@Gulliver Foyle: Years in the wilderness? An all Ireland final this year and a semi final last year. I’d say that a lot of teams would love to be stuck in that wilderness alright.
He’s a great man to bring a team to croke Park after all he has been through in the last few years anyway the best team won on the day;
The man is a pain in the ar*e. They need a new mananger that will encourage a more attacking style of play.
@John Longmore: again you’re showing your complete lack of knowledge of the Gaa. There is no one else capable of doing what he does. Tyrone have 42 clubs unlike cork which has around 250, he gets the best out of what he has.
@paddy fox: Cork may have that many clubs but Gaelic football is ,was and always will be a second class sport in Cork played primarily for fitness for the hurling season and only played seriously in small pockets of the county. I would venture Tyrone would have a greater pick of actual serious footballers than Cork selectors
@paddy fox: how many clubs have Dublin? Also look at their population & the amount of money being pumped in.
@Margaret: what have the dubs got to do with this get a grip Margaret
Up the dubs for 5 in row
@Colm Lyons: duck broken by Kerry miners so it could happen.
What terrific words from a legend just shows you ” there’s more to life than winning football games” class from the man.
Ryan Mc Meniman tough rough Tyrone man, was a wimp against the Ozzies.