Tough Toffees give Zola plenty to chew on

THIS was supposed to be a story of one club continuing to climb out of a crisis and another hurtling headlong into one but Everton clearly had not read the script.

David Moyes’ side defied their dire form and chronic injury list to notch a much-needed first win in five Premier League and puncture West Ham’s swelling optimism, shoving them back into the relegation zone.

Strikes from Louis Saha and Dan Gosling put the Merseysiders into a position of control and, while Tony Hibbert’s own-goal caused some anxious moments in the final stages, they were not to be denied three precious points.