Saha breaks Hammers hearts

Everton stole a 3-1 victory over West Ham courtesy of two late strikes from Louis Saha.

Visitors grab three goals in five minutes to seal unlikely win

Everton stole a 3-1 victory over West Ham courtesy of two late strikes from Louis Saha. West Ham had dominated proceedings for the majority of the game, missing several great opportunities in a thoroughly one-sided first half. Despite their shortcomings up front, the Hammers finally got the goal that they deserved in the 62nd minute, at which point they looked likely to take all three points. But, after Saha found Joleon Lescott to head home for the equaliser, the game turned in the away side's favour and within minutes West Ham keeper Robert Green was picking the ball out of the back of his net again when Saha's deflected drive skidded painfully beyond Green and into the bottom corner. Saha added another just moments later to complete an incredible turnaround which would see The Toffees leave Upton Park with an unlikely 3-1 victory.

Early exchanges

Saha had almost given the visitors the lead in the opening minute but his right-footed volley flashed just wide of Green's left-hand upright. But the home side responded immediately with Scott Parker bursting through the midfield before unleashing a low 20-yard drive which Tim Howard pushed wide. But the early exchanges proved to be a false dawn with precious little excitement to warm the crowd on a wet afternoon. The home side were dealt a blow after 15 minutes when defender Matthew Upson was taken off on a stretcher with an ankle injury, to be replaced by Jack Collison. In the 19th minute Green had to be alert to deal with a low cross from Everton captain Phil Neville. Moments later Freddie Sears almost carved out an opening at the opposite end but the young West Ham striker lost control of the ball at the vital moment. West Ham defender Herita Ilunga wrestled Victor Anichebe to the ground in the 22nd minute but Mikel Arteta's free-kick from the right flank was easily dealt with. A counter-attack by the home side seconds later saw Sears put Craig Bellamy clear but the West Ham striker saw his shot deflected for a corner. The game continue to ebb and flow and Jack Rodwell tried his luck for the visitors in the 23rd minute but his shot rolled harmlessly into the hands of the waiting Green. Most of West Ham's best moves were inspired by the hard-working Parker but they lacked a killer instinct in attack. Both Bellamy and Sears had plenty of the ball and when they combined again in the 28th minute, West Ham should have taken the lead. Sears crossed from the left wing and when Everton's defence only half-cleared the ball, Bellamy sent his 18-yard volley high into the crowd. The pair were beginning to form a vibrant partnership for the home side and with a bigger slice of luck, Sears would have opened the scoring in the 31st minute. Bellamy cleverly left Joseph Yobo floundering with a neat dummy on the left edge of the penalty area before delivering the perfect low pass for the onrushing Sears. However, Sears opted for power over placement and although his shot beat Howard it cannoned off the crossbar. With two minutes of the first half remaining, Leon Osman was presented with a clear shot at goal from 20 yards but the Everton midfielder could not hit the target.

Opener

In the 56th minute, Rodwell went close for Everton when he hooked his effort just wide of the upright from close range. Moments later West Ham replaced Luis Boa Morte with winger Matthew Etherington in a bid to give the home side more thrust in attack. In the 59th minute, the rampaging Bellamy was fouled on the edge of the penalty area by Neville as West Ham increased the tempo of the game. However, Bellamy's subsequent free-kick was charged down by Everton's defensive wall. But West Ham did break the deadlock in the 63rd minute through substitute Collison. The goal was superbly set-up by a brilliant piece of individual skill from Parker who backheeled the ball into the path of the home debutant. With Everton's defence completely wrong-footed by Parker's brilliance, Collison took his time to curl the ball into the top corner. It was a memorable goal for the youngster who had never played at home for the first team until Upson's first-half injury presented him with the opportunity.

Fightback

The home side seemed to be in full control and were threatening to increase their advantage, with the pace of Sears and Bellamy a constant threat to the visitors. But Everton conjured up an amazing fightback in the last 10 minutes when Lescott planted a firm header beyond Green for the leveller in the 83rd minute. Worse was to follow for West Ham when a cross from Anichebe was fired home by Saha, with a slight deflection on his shot taking the ball past Green. The former Manchester United striker then repeated the feat, with a powerful low 20-yard shot bouncing past Green in the 87th minute to leave West Ham floored.

West Ham United	Team Statistics	Everton
1	Goals	3
0	1st Half Goals	0
5	Shots on Target	5
3	Shots off Target	8
9	Blocked Shots	4
9	Corners	4
10	Fouls	10
1	Offsides	0
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
77.8	Passing Success	66.6
20	Tackles	19
65	Tackles Success	68.4
57.8	Possession	42.2
51.5	Territorial Advantage	48.5