SWEATING AT THE PALACE – AN ANNUS HORRIBILIS BECKONS
Crystal Palace 2 West Ham 3
They say with the benefit of three seasons in action that VAR works for you or against you in batches of three. After this afternoon, West Ham might consider after three ‘dodgies’ against Burnley, Arsenal and Southampton that they are now entering a period where they will experience a positive batch. They might also remember that going 3-0 up early in a game should always set the alarm bells ringing. Clearly it’s been a while since that happened, so this afternoon was a poignant reminder.
And it could all have been so different had Palace not hit the woodwork twice before West Ham scored their opener. When it came, it was Michail Antonio’s second in two games, though this time he made the starting XI, and celebrated his goal with a game of Mortal Kombat on his phone that he had somehow smuggled into his shorts before the game. The chance was created by Benrahma, cutting in from the left who hit a wicked curling low cross that Antonio had virtually only to breathe on to ease past Guita. The second, just three minutes later was a climax of ball juggling across the front of the area by Manuel Lanzini, from Rice’s pass, and an exquisite volleyed finish probably earns Lanzini a credit for the assist as well.
Though Palace enjoy the next twenty minutes of play, Lanzini sends Hammers in with a three goal lead, having converted the penalty awarded for Milivojevic’s clumsy handball in the area. It’s a back-to-back victory for VAR, as those in Stockwell Park had a better view of the offence out in Berkshire than referee Michael Oliver, just ten yards away.
After hallucinating the Palace fans chanting VARs Red and Blue army, there needs to be a little reflection on what has happened in the past each time West Ham have notched up a three goal lead in a game, especially one that Palace have had a fair share of so far. This concern proves to be unwarranted, at least until the 83rd minute when Edouard, who hit the bar in the first half, slips in to pull one back for Palace. More alarmingly, substitute Michael Olise hits in a late free kick which bypasses everyone on its way into the far corner of the net, and with the fans’ jaws hanging, Mateta fashions an exquisite bicycle kick which misses Fabianski’s far post by a whiskers’ pouch.
Meanwhile, over in North London earlier in the day, it looks like ‘Lucky’ Arsenal are now entering their own triumvirate of VAR disappointments. We recall with mild glee numerous examples of VAR fortune at the closing of 2021, as Manchester City this morning have taken all three points from them with the last kick of the game. Arsey.
1 Lucasz Fabiański, 31 Ben Johnson, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice (c), 15 Craig Dawson, 23 Issa Diop, 28 Tomas Souček, 10 Manuel Lanzini, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 11 Nikola Vlašić, 23 Arthur Masuaku, 33 Alex Král
Goalscorers: Michail Antonio, Manuel Lanzini 2 (1 pen)
