The last time Everton came to the London Stadium their manager was on the brink - but this time the Blues nailed the Hammers in front of both Farhad Moshiri and prospective new owner Josh Wander of 777 Partners.

This was a resolute display from the visitors who produced a performance filled with the type of determination Sean Dyche declared they had been showing all week in training after the sense of injustice from the referee that prevailed following their Merseyside Derby defeat at Anfield. However, this was far from a smash-and-grab victory as the difference between the sides was a strike of supreme quality as Dominic Calvert-Lewin grabbed his 50^thPremier League goal for the club.

Back when these sides met in the corresponding fixture last season on January 21, Everton’s majority shareholder Moshiri, who has still not been back to Goodison Park since the 5-2 capitulation against Watford under Rafael Benitez, now over two years ago on October 23, 2021, was joined en masse by the club’s board of directors who had stayed away from the Southampton home game the previous weekend on security advice. Chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale, Graeme Sharp and the late chairman Bill Kenwright were all here for what proved to be the final act of Frank Lampard’s tenure.

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Interviewed by Sky Sports from within the bowels of the stadium, Moshiri bizarrely claimed that the manager’s future was “not my decision” while when Kenwright was asked if it was the end for the Blues boss, he replied: “I would never tell you that.” Off the field that day, West Ham saluted their own home-grown chairman in the shape of David Gold and if Kenwright – who was honoured here by both sets of supporters along with World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton as Sir Geoff Hurst, the last survivor of England’s 1966 side looked on – was the last of his kind in that respect, Gold was the penultimate.

Since these sides last met, David Moyes, who was left empty-handed despite an impressive 11-year reign at Goodison Park under Kenwright finally broke his trophy duck and Moshiri has agreed to sell his entire stake in Everton to Miami-based private investment firm 777 Partners. This time, the man who Kenwright had initially proclaimed to be “the perfect partner to take the club forward” was instead joined in the directors’ box by 777’s co-founder Josh Wander and Don Dransfield, CEO of their football group.

What they, along with the jubilant Evertonians, who have followed the club in thin and thinner in recent times, witnessed was a much-changed performance from nine months ago.

First of all in personnel, as despite the Financial Fair Play restrictions that have curbed spending at Everton and led to last week’s profit and sustainability hearing in front of an independent commission, only five players remained in the starting line-up from the 2-0 reversal here last time out. What was telling though was the way in which under Dyche each of that quintet played their part in a deserved three points on the road.

We might be in Halloween week but it was predecessor Lampard who looked spooked when filmed being geed up by travelling supporters before the Blues’ last trip to the Hammers and here the visitors were able to exorcise the demons of what went on against Liverpool eight days earlier. From the five who survived from January, Calvert-Lewin, who became only the fourth Everton player to reach 50 Premier League goals for the club, took his 51^st minute match-winner exquisitely.

Picking up the ball from the impressive Jarrad Branthwaite who had dispossessed Michail Antonio, Calvert-Lewin exchanged passes with Jack Harrison before getting between Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd to despatch an assured finish. At the other end, Jordan Pickford produced a string of important stops at key moments to frustrate the Hammers faithful who were barracking him from the moment he clipped Mohammed Kudus and told the midfielder to get back on his feet in what proved to be a bad-tempered melee.

The goalkeeper picked up a booking for his troubles but held his nerve to deny Kudus from close range, tip a speculative effort from Aguerd over the bar and then deny substitute Said Benrahma in stoppage time. Vitalii Mykolenko carried on from his impressive shackling of Mohamed Salah at Anfield to produce a confident display at left-back, Amadou Onana showed great composure and increased maturity in midfield and captain James Tarkowski – making his 50^th start for the club – was described as “immense” by his manager along with centre-back partner Branthwaite.

For all that Everton would love to be in West Ham’s position and competing in European football, their Europa League exertions left the hosts looking heavy-legged and Dyche’s side were primed to take advantage of a flat atmosphere in a London Stadium that had more than its fair share of empty seats.

Unbeaten under Dyche when going ahead, the Blues have shown they can protect a lead and this was an ideal away day display to impress the watching Moshiri, Wander et al while also honour the memory of Kenwright after a hugely emotional few days.