Andy Carroll was once again West Ham's inspiration in the absence of Dimitri Payet, scoring twice to secure a 3-1 win at Middlesbrough.
Carroll lit up last weekend's Premier League action with a stunning bicycle kick in the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace and he was equally impressive at the Riverside on Saturday.
The England striker's goals were the product of brawn and brain, thundering in a header from a corner before neat movement helped him convert a spilled shot from distance.
Carroll has now scored in consecutive league games for the first time since April last year, but typical concerns clouded his performance - an apparent groin injury ending his match early, after a week spent recovering from whiplash sustained scoring his stunner a week ago.
Christhian Stuani had equalised Carroll's first strike and the Uruguay striker hit the bar in the second half, but Boro's fightback was stifled and Aitor Karanka's unwillingness to divert from Plan A - a growing concern on Teesside - perhaps cost them here.
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