LONDON: Andriy Yarmolenko scored twice on his first start for West Ham United as they climbed off the foot of the English Premier League table with a 3-1 win away to Everton on Sunday.

It was the Hammers’ first league win under manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose four previous top-flight games in charge of the east London club at the start of this season had all ended in defeat.

This victory at Goodison Park also catapulted West Ham out of the bottom three as Marco Silva tasted defeat for the first time as Everton manager.

A much-changed West Ham side took the lead after 11 minutes following a swift counter-attack through Yarmolenko and the Ukrainian forward curled a stunning shot into the net 20 minutes later to make it two.

Gylfi Sigurdsson headed Everton back into the match on the stroke of halftime, but Marko Arnautovic’s goal just after the hour mark ensured West Ham climbed off the bottom of the table and up to 16th.

As West Ham moved up, Burnley sank to the bottom after suffering a fourth successive defeat earlier on Sunday.

Raul Jimenez scored the only goal of the game as newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers continued their impressive start to the Premier League season at Molineux.

After Wolves missed several chances in the first half, Jimenez pounced in the 61st minute when he turned in Matt Doherty’s cross to break the deadlock with his second goal of the season.

Burnley pressed for a leveller, but lacked any real threat in attack, mustering just two tame shots on target in the entire match.

United recover

In Saturday’s late kick-off, Manchester United further eased the pressure on Jose Mourinho by beating Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road as the Hornets surrendered their 100 percent record.

United are getting their season back on track after a 3-0 humbling at home by Tottenham Hotspur, with victory before the international break at Burnley followed by the success at Watford.

United hit Watford with a one-two halfway through the first half with goals from Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling, whose left-foot volley would have done any forward proud.

But they had to withstand some late pressure after Andre Gray halved their advantage and Nemanja Matic saw a late red card for bringing down Will Hughes.

It then took David de Gea’s fingertips save from Abdoulaye Doucoure’s header to ensure United claimed a third victory of the campaign.

“In the second half we decreased our intensity, then the goal happened, then the game is open,” said Mourinho. “I think this last Lukaku tackle as a right-back shows everything. I think he is the image of the team, a team that played very well in long periods in the first half.”

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2018