Everton Under-23s suffered a 3-1 defeat at West Ham United in the Premier League 2 on Saturday.

A smart finish from Stanley Mills was not enough as David Unsworth's side were consigned to defeat at a wet and windy Rush Green stadium.

After a slow start from the young Blues, Rhys Hughes almost sparked the game into life with a curling effort from the edge of the penalty area that forced a superb save from Hammers goalkeeper Krisztian Hegyi.

But it was the Hammers who would open the scoring midway through the first half, when right-back Harrison Ashby lofted a deep cross for Kamarai Swyer to head home.

The hosts then doubled their lead on 30 minutes as captain Ajibola Alese cannoned a header off the crossbar before Jamal Baptiste prodded the ball into the net on the rebound.

The Toffees got themselves back into the contest less than two minutes later, though, finding their passing rhythm with a slick move before Mills halved the deficit with a driven volley into the bottom corner.

West Ham came flying out of the blocks after the half-time interval and made their pressure count by adding a third on the hour mark.

The tricky conditions caused problems for both sides defending set pieces all afternoon - and Ajibola Alese added a third after a scramble in the box.

Next up for the Under-23s is a home clash with Leeds United on Monday 18 October.