Everton 3-1 West Ham: Calvert-Lewin scores hat-trick as Toffees ease into Carabao Cup quarter-finals

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will have his eyes glued to his phone on Thursday, hoping that a message will pop up from Gareth Southgate.

On this evidence, it will not be too long before England’s head coach comes calling. Everton’s number nine is riding the crest of a wave and his brilliant start to the season resulted in a second hat-trick that has propelled his team to within two games of Wembley.

Calvert-Lewin was outstanding, the focal point of a hard working performance that has carried them to the quarter-finals. Everton never looked like losing from the moment he started to terrorise West Ham and they have now six games at the start of the campaign for the first time since 1938.

‘In football, it is a really good life when you are winning,’ Carlo Ancelotti wrote in his programme notes. ‘We are in the situation we wanted before the season started and we have the ambition and motivation to continue in the same way.’

Managers of Ancelotti’s ilk are wily and know the importance of momentum. For that reason, James Rodriguez and Allan were in from the start here and they started with the speed of a team that had total belief in itself – take the way Michael Keane created the opening goal.

Keane is blossoming under Ancelotti and he will be unfortunate if he goes away with England this month and does not get any time on the pitch; evidence of his burgeoning confidence came in the way he pirouetted around Manuel Lanzini and then clipped a 30-yard ball forward.

Calvert-Lewin made the perfect run, darting in behind West Ham’s defence and cushioning the ball with his first touch before lifting his shot over Darron Randolph with his second. It was a super finish, again indicative of a player who is thriving.

What a shame he had to celebrate in front of empty stands. In normal circumstances, an early goal in an occasion such as this and the old stadium would have been jumping under the lights. The show must continue but, without an audience, this show does not feel right.

Everton should really have accelerated away from their visitors at that point and perhaps if Richarlison’s 20th minute poked effort had squirmed past Randolph – the Brazilian had been sent scurrying away by Allan – they would have done so.

As it was, they were made to pay for not hammering home their authority just 24 seconds into the second half when West Ham’s first attempt at goal ended up flying past Jordan Pickford. Robert Snodgrass was the scorer, sweeping in a wonderful effort from the edge of the area.

Not so long ago, a goal like that would have led to Everton becoming dispirited. Ancelotti, though, is changing the mentality of this squad and, within 11 minutes, they had retaken the lead through the industrious Richarlison.

It might not have been as easy on the eye, as his strike wrong-footed Randolph due to a hefty deflection off Declan Rice but it was significant enough for Ancelotti to turn around, grinning from ear-to-ear, and shake his fists in celebration.

Richarlison was later forced off with injury, as was Allan, but any disappointment did not linger as Calvert-Lewin took over, tapping in the 78th minute after Alex Iwobi had struck post then completing his treble with a smart finish from a Gylfi Sigurdsson pass. No wonder Ancelotti was smiling.