Bolton clinched their first win since the opening day of the season as Kevin Davies, Gary Cahill and a Matthew Taylor free-kick all hit the target to give Gary Megson's men a 3-1 win at West Ham.

West Ham could have gone top of the league, albeit for a matter of hours, with a win over the struggling Trotters but a mistake by Robert Green gave Davies the chance to put Bolton ahead, against the run of play, in the 30th minute and poor defending allowed Cahill to score his first goal for the club just four minutes later. Though Carlton Cole gave the Hammers hope with a header on 69 minutes, substitute Taylor unleashed a swerving long-range free-kick to end the contest in style.

There had been scant threat of anything like an away win in the opening half an hour as the Hammers pressed forward from the start. Herita Ilunga's foraging runs down the left flank caused Bolton countless problems and both David Di Michele, on 19 minutes, and Valon Behrami, just before the half-hour, sent low shots fizzing narrowly wide from 20 yards out.

But the visitors struck soon afterwards as Green came off his line and spilled Jlloyd Samuel's hopeful punt upfield straight into the path of Davies, who looped a shot into the unguarded net. Bolton doubled their lead in their next attack as West Ham failed to clear Andy O'Brien's free-kick, and Green subsequently parried Gavin McCann's rasping shot straight into the path of Cahill who jabbed in from close range.

Jussi Jaaskelainen preserved his side's two-goal lead with a spectacular save onto the post from Carlton Cole's deflected effort five minutes after the interval but he couldn't stop the striker from scoring midway through the second period as Cole was the first to react to Matthew Upson's header, from a Matthew Etherington' corner, nudging the ball in off the bar with his shoulder.

With Upton Park now in full voice, West Ham were once more on the front foot and Behrami came within a whisker of equalising with a powerful rising 25-yarder on 70 minutes. The Hammers threatened frequently from corners but they couldn't find another way past Jaaskelainen, before Taylor struck with five minutes left to secure three crucial points for Bolton.