Yakubu scored a second-half hat-trick to earn Everton a 3-0 victory against Fulham at Goodison Park.

The Nigerian striker scored one with his left foot, one with his right and one with his head to lift his side into seventh and condemn the visitors to their 25th consecutive winless away day in the Premier League.

The emphatic full-time score was at odds with an even first half which saw both sides force two corners each in the opening four minutes.

Everton came closest to opening the scoring with the last of those set pieces. Arteta delivered the ball to the near post, where Joleon Lescott was able to volley goalwards. It was not the cleanest of connections but Niemi's reaction save was still impressive.

With wind swirling around Goodison Park and rain beating down on to the pitch, it was hardly the sort of afternoon for Everton's playmaker Mikel Arteta to showcase his skills in open play. But the Spaniard forced Niemi into another smart stop from a long-range free kick after quarter of an hour.

When Danny Murphy fouled Leon Osman some 35 yards from goal, the Fulham goalkeeper wouldn't have been too concerned. But Arteta's curled effort took a deflection off the top of the wall and would have dipped into the away side's net but for Niemi palming the ball over the bar after scrambling back to his goal line.

Cahill then miscued a free header from the resulting corner after another delivery to the near post by Arteta.

Fulham matched their hosts for the remainder of the half, with Stefanovic missing the ball completely when well-placed to score after 25 minutes.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder had an opportunity to silence the barracking Everton fans ten minutes later, only to drag a volley from the edge of the area wide of Tim Howard's right-hand post.

Whatever David Moyes said to liven up his side at half-time clearly worked, as they made a flying start to the second period.

They took the lead six minutes after the restart. Niemi made another reaction save from a firm Cahill volley, but the Fulham goalkeeper was helpless to stop Yakubu's left-footed shot trickling over the line from the rebound.

Murphy almost got Fulham straight back into the game straight away, but his low drive from the edge of the penalty area was well saved by Howard low to his right.

Ten minutes later it was all over. Arteta's near-post corners had troubled Fulham all afternoon, and with 62 minutes gone his dinked delivery was flicked on by Jagielka to Yakubu, who was left to head the ball into an unprotected net.

Typically, Fulham refused to accept defeat, throwing David Healy on up front and changing to an attacking 4-3-3 formation.

The tactic left them wide open at the back though, and Everton sliced them open at will in the final quarter of the match.

Yakubu had twice failed to score after being put through on goal before eventually completing his hat-trick with a right-footed strike after turning Dejan Stefanovic with ease inside the Fulham area.

Ben Phillips / Eurosport