There will have been few afternoons quite as comfortable as this for David Moyes who reached a landmark 200th Premier League victory as a manager in emphatic fashion.

Now in his 14th year as a top flight manager, Sir Alex Ferguson was present in the directors’ box to witness Moyes – the man he anointed as his successor at Manchester United – reach a milestone that only he, Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp had thus far accomplished.

During the week Moyes admitted that while he harbours ambitions of developing a more expansive style befitting West Ham’s traditions, it has been a case of securing points and not plaudits since his arrival in November.

Here though he managed both, principally owing to the inspiration provided by Marko Arnautovic, who transformed a regimented display into one brimming with brio and panache as the visitors cut loose, scoring four times for the first time since May 2013. It ensured that West Ham leapfrogged their opponents, climbing to 11th in the Premier League, and represented a healthy return of 15 points from the last 24 available.

The Austrian contributed to Mark Noble’s 40th minute opener by dispossessing Joe Lolley and then scored moments after the half-time restart to re-establish West Ham’s lead after Lolley had redeemed his earlier error by superbly curling an equalising goal.