Romelu Lukaku scored after just 30 seconds, equalling the fastest goal in the Premier League this season, and went on to hammer in four as Everton beat struggling Bournemouth 6-3 amid a goal glut at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Lukaku’s first minute left-footer matched Pedro’s 30-second goal for Chelsea against Manchester United, but the Belgian was far from finished, making the second for James McCarthy and completing a double himself when he latched on to a careless Simon Francis back pass.
Three down at halftime, Bournemouth, without a win in 2017, improved dramatically in the second half, Josh King reducing the deficit just before the hour after fine work from Jack Wilshere and adding another 10 minutes later with a sharp finish.
Yet the hungry Lukaku struck twice more in the final 10 minutes to take his season’s league tally to 16, making him the top-flight’s leading marksman as Ronald Koeman celebrated his 100th Premier League match as a manager.
Bournemouth’s Harry Arter made it 5-3 in the 90th minute, but Everton had the final word when Ross Barkley tapped home the ninth goal of the afternoon four minutes into stoppage time.
* West Ham United recovered from a goal down to cruise to a comfortable 3-1 Premier League victory away against Southampton on Saturday.
Southampton’s Italian forward Manolo Gabbiadini, making his debut following his arrival from Napoli, finished superbly from a tight angle in the 12th minute before Andy Carroll leveled with a neat finish two minutes later – his fourth goal in four league games.
Pedro Obiang, provider for Carroll’s goal, put the visitors ahead with a long-range strike in the 44th before Mark Noble’s free kick was deflected off Steven Davies and into the net to condemn Southampton to a sixth defeat in seven league games.
The victory lifted West Ham, winners of six of their last nine league games, to ninth while out-of-form Southampton sit four points and four places below in 13th.
* Sunderland produced a remarkable display to crush fellow Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace 4-0 at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Sunderland, with just once away league win all season, opened the scoring in the ninth minute through defender Lamine Kone before Didier Ndong added the first of three goals in five frantic minutes.
Jermain Defoe ended the contest before the break with a smart quick-fire double – his 13th and 14th league goals of the season – as Sunderland ran riot against a team managed by their former boss Sam Allardyce.
Sunderland remained bottom of the table, but climbed level on points with 19th-placed Palace, who have won just once in 10 league games.