Wilfried Zaha (right) scored for Roy Hodgson's team in a frenzied 15-minute first half. Credit: Getty Images/Justin Tallis Crystal Palace v West Ham Match Summary
Celebration time? It should have been for both teams. Crystal Palace and West Ham United, led by two of the Premier League's oldest managers, started off seemingly done with their demotion flirting and free to speak their minds without fear.
After the match, which, despite being so close The score was one-sided, Crystal Palace achieved the traditional 40-point safety guarantee, with a bravura – yes, festive – performance. Unlike West Ham.
“I am proud that my teams are difficult to play against and difficult to win,” lamented David Moyes, West Ham manager. “Today it was neither difficult to play with us, nor to win. We didn't play very well, but no one should underestimate Crystal Palace's game.
For all they scored three goals each from a poorly defended corner, West Ham failed to read the safety script and, after losing to Liverpool on Wednesday, they managed to plunge back into relegation ferment.
Whether it was fear, complacency, or the difficulty of linking sole striker Mikhail Antonio to those who theoretically supported him, West Ham were in second place.
Four goals conceded smacked more of complacency than fear. Thomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma were too slow to recognize the danger first. And Nayaf Agerd played his part in the final three: assisting Michael Olize with a pass for a returning Wilfried Zaha to score in the second; slipping casually on Soucek, who conceded the ball to Geoffrey Schlupp in the third match and knocked down Eberechi Ezi from the penalty spot brought by the fourth.
Jeffrey Schlupp lashes out at sloppy West Ham to take out Crystal Palace 3-1 👊 pic.twitter.com/NYNh1DSMzD
— Football on BT Sport ( @btsportfootball) April 29, 2023
The Moroccan had his days better, he had no worse, although Moyes, who scolded Var on Wednesday, expressed some sympathy for the penalty: “He looked soft. I really don't know when Var comes and when it doesn't.
On the contrary, after the start was delayed by problems with the turnstiles (“it really didn’t help us,” Moyes mused), Palace threw off their shackles, freedom and joy pervading their every action after a difficult period. They scored three goals before the break and were a runaway attacking force, with Olize eclipsing the rusty Zaha.
«We're safe now,» said Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace manager, who declined to discuss whether he would be at Palace next season but had a fruitful conversation with the «amazing» Jason Sudeikis, also known as Ted Lasso. “The game turned out to be more exciting than I would have liked, but we showed incredible energy. I'm very happy.”
Olise became a key figure in the game after he gave West Ham a botched header into his own net that Soucek gleefully scored. He didn't score himself, but his impeccable scoring gave Jordan Ayew the opening goal for Palace, and his cross from six yards through the box ended with Zaha's goal.
Tomas Soucek reacts fastest from a corner and kicks West Ham ahead 💥 pic.twitter.com/S3MbRtpwCV
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 29, 2023
Elsewhere, Olize was rampant, forcing the unfortunate Emerson to leave at halftime and torturing the West Ham defense when Zaha got rid of his rust to encourage Vladimir Kufal to get a yellow card. «He's too good for you,» the home support sang. It was hard to argue with that.
As soon as the goals began to come in, Palace looked around and began to hit with a hose. Too often defensively erratic, West Ham languished under the onslaught of Palace's attacking prowess, their cacophonous support and the weight of their own confusion.
Their path ahead is far from clear. West Ham has Europe to juggle, along with Premier League games with both Manchester teams and others struggling Leeds United and Leicester City.
What seemed pretty simple at first, now looks much more complicated.
Lineups Crystal Palace vs West Ham
Свежие комментарии