Marco Silva lives to fight another day as Everton move out of relegation zone
MARCO SILVA will be breathing a huge sigh of relief as Everton ended a four-match losing run with a well-deserved victory against West Ham.
Goals from Bernard and substitute Gylfi Sigurdsson could well have saved Silva from the sack at Goodison Park.
The three points moved the Toffees out of the relegation zone and ended a four-game losing run.
It was billed as a must-win game for Silva, and the nerves were clear to see early on - but more in the stands than on the pitch.
Everton fully deserved the three points against a team who had not lost on their travels so far this season.
Bernard gave Everton the lead after 17 minutes when he spun past two defenders and slotted a low shot beneath West Ham goalkeeper Roberto.
Richarlison had a goal ruled out for offside at the start of the second half and Theo Walcott rattled the crossbar with a volley.
But Sigurdsson finally doubled the advantage by curling in a shot from just outside the area in stoppage time as the Toffees ended a run of four successive Premier League defeats.
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Roberto also denied Tom Davies and Alex Iwobi from close range to keep the score down.
Angelo Ogbonna missed West Ham's best chance for an equaliser in the 82nd when the ball fell to him after a corner but Jordan Pickford saved his shot.
The win lifts Everton out of the relegation zone with 10 points from nine games, two points behind West Ham.