The front-row desk of the press box here took a second-half pounding from the fists of Slaven Bilic, sent to the stands over his furious reaction to the incident that guided Everton and West Brom to opposite ends of the table. His team took one, too, from the precision of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and vision of James Rodríguez, as Carlo Ancelotti maintained his perfect start in his first full season as Everton manager.
Calvert-Lewin recorded the first hat-trick of his Everton career as he continued his own fine start to a campaign that opened with his winner at
Tottenham last Sunday. James scored his first goal in English
Football since his move from
Real Madrid and illuminated the afternoon with touches of genuine class. He was also involved in the moment that turned everything when, seconds after sweeping Everton ahead, he collapsed to the ground after taking a shove in the face from Kieran Gibbs.