Lacklustre West Ham suffered back-to-back league defeats after Michael Olise’s injury time winner gave Crystal Palace their first away win of the season.
The result leaves West Ham 15th in the league, two points above the relegation zone.
First Half
Saïd Benrahma put the Hammers ahead on the 20-minute mark, before Crystal Palace came from behind to win through goals from Wilfred Zaha and Olise.
Palace controlled the game early on, with Eberechi Eze’s shot going just wide of the post. But West Ham took the lead against the run of play with Benrahma beautifully striking the ball into the goal from outside the box.
Palace equalised four minutes from half time, capitalising on Craig Dawson’s heavy pass to Thilo Kehrer. The German was dispossessed by Eze, he then passed it through to Zaha who made no mistake in drawing the Eagles level.
Second Half
The second half was mostly quiet until there was 10 minutes left. West Ham thought they had an opportunity, being awarded a penalty after Marc Guehi made contract with Michael Antonio. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) deemed there was minimal contact and the decision was overturned.
The Eagles almost took the lead themselves five minutes later when a reflection from Dawson forced a quick reaction save from Lukasz Fabiański. But Palace took all three points in the last minute of injury time when Olise’s deflected shot sailed over Fabiański’s head into the goal.
Fan Annoyance
Palace’s last-minute winner capped off a lethargic West Ham performance, who suffered their first home loss since August.
The Hammers’ fans were disgruntled throughout the game, in particular when goal scorer Benrahma was subbed off midway through the second half. The fans chanted the Algerian’s name as he was walking to the bench.
Boos poured down at full time, as reported by The Irish Sun, West Ham skipper Declan Rice says the fans were “probably right to boo us [the team].”
Manager’s Thoughts
As reported on football.london, West Ham manager David Moyes said his side’s performance didn’t deserve three points.
“It’s gutting but we didn’t deserve to win. We got a goal ahead probably against the run of play. We gave away a terrible goal.”
Moyes was also asked about Benrahma’s performance, following the fans’ reaction to the Algerian being taken off.
“He scored a good goal but I’m not sure he had a big impact after that.”
What’s Next?
West Ham have two home games left before the World Cup, playing Blackburn in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, then hosting Leicester in league action on Saturday.
Edited By: Joshua Owoaje
