There was a moment in the first half of Everton’s 4-1 League Cup win against West Ham United that drew gasps from the handful of people in attendance.

The reaction was brought about simply by a through-ball from James Rodriguez to Richarlison. It was inconsequential as far as the game was concerned, as the Brazilian was offside, but in terms of entertainment it summed up the early performances of Everton’s new Colombian creator.

If this moment could induce such awe in neutrals working at the game, imagine the reaction to such a moment were Goodison Park filled with supporters.

And it wasn’t the only moment like this from James. The way he was taking the ball past opposition players, seemingly at walking pace but at the same time so quickly it left his marker looking foolish, is almost comical.

You also get the impression he hates passing backwards, but despite his adventurous playmaking he still finished this game with a pass success of 91 per cent.

While James is the effective entertainer, at the top end of the pitch Everton have a striker who is making those recent Pippo Inzaghi comparisons look even more apt.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin bagged his second hat-trick in as many appearances at Goodison Park this season, and at the moment looks like England’s best centre-forward.

For his first goal, a comparison with Denis Bergkamp may be more apt given the way he took down Michael Keane’s long ball with a perfect first touch. His second touch was a neat finish of a striker in form, delicately slotting the ball over the onrushing West Ham goalkeeper Darren Randolph.

Such high praise has to be tempered until this translates into something more consistent, but the forward has long possessed the attributes to perform at this level, he just needed to find a way of hitting the back of the net more often. 

It seems his coaches Carlo Ancelotti and Duncan Ferguson have helped him do just that.

Everton fans will rightly be revelling in this run of form from both their club and their centre-forward, and have no reason not to get carried away.

Club statistician Gavin Buckland noted that Calvert-Lewin is the first Everton player to score hat-tricks against top-flight opposition at Goodison Park in successive games since Dixie Dean in November 1931.

The 23-year-old’s second goal was a real poacher’s effort. He lurked at the far post, almost predicting that Alex Iwobi’s shot would rebound off the frame of the goal into his path.

The finish for his third, from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass, looked simple. An easy goal to net another hat-trick, but these types of finishes are a sign of a striker full of confidence. 

That confidence is running through the club at the moment thanks to Calvert-Lewin and James, and it could see them challenge for silverware in this competition this season.