West Ham snatch all three points in a 2-0 away win against a below-par Crystal Palace
By Paul Lagan at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace 0 v West Ham United 2
Normally London derbies have a bit of nastiness about them. Players desperate to win their personal battles with the opposition player nearest to them. Lots of niggly fouls, shirt-tugging and general 'you are not getting the better of me'.
This was not the case at Selhurst Park where the match was a wet as the air.
This match was destined to be last on that Saturday night highlights programme – but West Ham went and spoiled it by scoring twice in the space of five second-half minutes to snatch all three points.
The standard of play was mediocre at best.
An advertising hoarding collapsed from the weight of celebrating West Ham fans after Tomas Soucek had opened the score on 67 minutes.
Medics took away a ball boy who was caught up in the commotion.
If things were bad for the Eagles at that point, it got double worse on 72 minutes when Jarrod Bowen smashed home number two.
Eberechi Eze had the first effort of the game, on goal on six minutes but his edge o the are right-footer clipped off Vladimir Coufal for a corner.
West Ham responded well with a quick break that gave them a corner. Maximillian Kilman glanced the ball wide.
Mohammed Kudus slashed a right-footer just wide of Dean Henderson's goal a minute later on 13 minutes as the visitors started to dominate play.
West Ham's goalkeeper Alphonse Areola produced goal-saving block kick to thwart Eze who latched onto the perfect defence-splicer by Adam Wharton, on 17 minutes.
Quite how Odsonne Edouard failed to score on 20 minutes is anyone's guess. Once again the West Ham defence was cut open. Edouard latched onto a through ball but rather than hit the goal, he sliced the ball across Areola's goal for a Hammers' goal kick.
While the East Londoners had the greater share of possession in the half, it was still the home side who carved out the better chances.
From a short corner Wharton fed Eze who produced a brilliant whipped, right-footed curler from just outside the Hammers penalty area, but the ball smacked off the crossbar.
Not a shot on goal technically, but it looked brilliant.
There were no changes by either side at half-time.
The first effort of the restart fell to Edouard, on 51 minutes, but his left-footer from 20 yards was a gift for Areola.
Double substitutions on 62 minutes from both sides suggested that both head coaches felt the three points were there to be grabbed.
On a quick break away inspired by West Ham's substitute and ex-Palace player Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and following a bit of ping pong in the Palace penalty area, the ball fell to Tomas Soucek who slide the ball home on 66 minutes.
There was commotion behind the advertising hoarding where the players celebrated with their fans.
It looked like a hoarder collapsed sending fans forward. With the ball boy in front getting the brunt of it.
He was led away by medical staff.
Within seconds West Ham doubled their lead when Jarrod Bowen smashed home a trademark left-footed blaster on 72 minutes.
Palace had a couple of half-chances but they were either offside or in the case of sub Ismaila Sarr, the ball zipped off his hip and then off the upright.
Teams: Palace: Henderson, Mitchell, Guehi, Lerma, Eze, Munoz, Mateta, Wharton, Edouard, Richards, Riad
Subs: Johnstone, Ward, Holding, Sarr, Schlupp, Clyne, Kamada, Doucoure, Ahamada
West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Antonio, Paqueta, Kudus, Mavropanos, Bowen, Rodriguez, Kilman, Soucek, Emerson
Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Summerville, Ward-Prowse, Fullkrug, Ings, Álvarez, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka
Referee: Rob Jones
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