West Ham United completed a remarkable turnaround to win at Goodison Park and go fifth in the Barclays Premier League on a day that had seemed to belong to Romelu Lukaku.
The Everton striker claimed his 23rd goal of the season and had his team in command even after an extremely premature bath for Kevin Mirallas, before they capitulated to leak three goals in the closing thirteen minutes.
Headed goals by Michail Antonio and Diafra Sakho in a three-minute spell left them reeling before Sakho and his fellow substitute Andy Carroll combined at close range for Dimitri Payet to dink an 90th-minute shot past Joel Robles.
Lukaku’s 13th-minute opener had been as forceful as his touch to play in Aaron Lennon for a 56th-minute second goal was sympathetic. Forceful but wasteful was the story, however, as a second-half penalty miss triggered West Ham’s revival.
That was barely thinkable when Bryan Oviedo threaded a pass to Lukaku on the left corner of the penalty area. The Belgian turned Reece Oxford, the West Ham centre-back, with ease before shooting left-footed past Adrian. Also quick to pull the trigger was Ross Barkley, who, from a corner he had taken, intercepted a clearing header with an instinctive volley.
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A tame header by Cheikhou Kouyate from a Payet free-kick was all that had arisen for West Ham before a 29th-minute Payet set-piece forced a corner and a chance. Angelo Ogbonna made a late run to meet Payet’s delivery; Seamus Coleman at best leant on the centre-back and at worst dragged him back, but was not punished.
There was no hint of danger in the West Ham half when Mirallas - already been booked for diving - scythed down Aaron Cresswell in the 34th minute to earn a second yellow card. An undermanned Everton were indebted to Joel Robles, their goalkeeper, who saved with his legs from Emmanuel Emenike before the interval, but Lennon’s tendency to drag West Ham’s defence out of shape continued after it. He got his reward when he angled in from the left to play a one-two with Lukaku and finish calmly.
Slaven Bilic’s east Londoners were not finished: Phil Jagielka sent Sakho sprawling (fairly) as he broke clear, and Robles was kept busy by balls into the loitering Carroll. Fortunes began to turn with a 69th-minute penalty given when Muhamed Besic’s trickery was curtailed by Alex Song. Lukaku bamboozled himself, placing his kick at Adrian, who he later could not nudge a shot past when haring away from Kouyate.
Then the payback, as Antonio’s 78th-minute reply from a cross by Noble was followed by Sakho’s leveller from Payet’s centre. Sakho dived in vain at a further ball from wide but a third curveball arrived when Payet himself finished the job.
Everton: Robles 5; Stones 5 (Besic 46min 6), Jagielka 6, Funes Mori 5; Coleman 6, McCarthy 7, Barkley 7, Oviedo 7; Lennon 8 (Niasse 76, 6), Mirallas 4; Lukaku 8 (Barry 89, 6).
West Ham United: Adrian 6, Kouyate 5, Oxford 5 (Carroll 46, 7), Ogbonna 5, Cresswell 6, Antonio 5, Noble 7, Obiang 5 (Song 60, 6), Lanzini 6, Payet 8, Emenike 5 (Sakho 60, 6).