WEST HAM ROYALTY AT THE PALACE
Crystal Palace 2 West Ham 3
Of the two games in the next week, this is the one I’m most concerned about. It’s raining and Palace aren’t in great form but Dazet Wilfried Armel Zaha is playing. This is a fixture West Ham seem to win whenever they aren’t favourites. So you see my point. Palace are playing 4-4-2 and Hammers 4-2-3-1. I’ve tried to make that work in my mind in a 3D sense, but it’s not working for now. I’ll have to see it on the pitch before I decide which side it works best for.
And my fears aren’t without substance. Benteke and Zaha exchange passes before Zaha hits a crisp low shot past Fabianski into the corner of the net. Under two minutes gone. Yes, we haven’t been conceding early goals in the last few matches, but the Spurs match showed what early goals can mean.
I should not have doubted Les Irones. Antonio chases a ball from Fornals down the left channel and hooks it back over for Soucek to head home just five minutes after Zaha’s early goal. The BT commentator is calling him Sir Check, but I’m so over that commentator twatdom for now, especially when the Czech Svengali is popping them in for Stam.
Palace don’t look quite as compliant as any of the five teams West Ham have beaten this year, but Hammers are enjoying more possession, and though Cresswell’s free kick to the far post is missed by Antonio, Sir Check controls and dispatches his second with his right foot to put West Ham in front. There is a brief VAR moment for a handball or marginal offside, but no change.
Just seconds from Palace’s restart and a poor pass from Kouyate lets Antonio in, and and though his shot beats Guaita, it comes back off the post, across the goal and out of play. That would have been truly spectacular. And the dominance continues, Soucek missing the chance of a hat-trick by a whisker and Fornals having a shot which is comfortably saved. I remember to take my usual superstitious screen shot of the table, just in case. Palace are being overrun here, but you feel like a third is necessary. Cresswell hits in a shot after a brilliant dummy from Fornals which Antonio deflects past Guaita, but against the same post he hit just fifteen minutes earlier. Unbelievable, Jeff.
BT have decided in their wisdom to abbreviate ‘Crystal Palace’ to ‘CRY’ in the score bar in the lower left hand corner. ‘CRY 1’ definitely carries a secondary meaning for now, and although their fans are still in great voice, it’s voices from a game well over a year ago – maybe the one against the Hammers in December 2019 which they won 2-1. The stats bar suggests the possession in the first half has been equal, but I think anyone watching knows the truth.
So what does Moyes suggest WHU do in the second half? More of the same won’t go amiss. I’m guessing his half time team talk will be more entertaining than Roy Hodgson’s, apart from on an unforgiving ironic scale.
Two minutes into the second half and Zaha finds himself through one on one with Fabianski, but the West Ham keeper rushes out of his goal and blocks the first and second attempt. Superb anticipation. Hammers settle and one of Benrahma’s many runs sets up a headed chance for Antonio which is saved point blank by Guaita and scrambled clear. One observation at this stage is that I can’t really remember Ogbonna or Dawson having had much to do at the back. And there is more from West Ham. A dangerous inswinging Bowen corner is headed home by Dawson. 3-1. And then Antonio has another chance to clip one in when Coufal’s shot is going wide, but his touch isn’t sufficient to deflect it goalwards. Fornals is on fire tonight, and no one in the Palace defence is putting out those fires. Benrahma is also electric with shuffles and back flicks. Oh, Frank Lampard got sacked this morning. I forgot to mention that. And they’ve already replaced him. Not that important in the great scheme of things, but probably worth mentioning.
What is noticeable is how West Ham now seem to be winning all the 50-50 balls, and even when Palace break they seem less confident, less inventive. Fredericks is on for Bowen with ten minutes to go. The tactics are clear. Whilst no one has forgotten last season’s 3-3 home draw with Brighton, this seems sensible from Moyes, as does Yarmo B There, on for Antonio. In the seventh minute of the six minutes of injury time, Batshuayi slips in to beat Fabianski from close range, but even a goal as late as that can’t spoil it for me. It’s top goalscorer status for Tomas Souček, who now has seven for the season. Bring on Klippety Klopp.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 21 Angelo Ogbonna, 15 Craig Dawson, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice (c), 28 Tomas Souček, 9 Saïd Benrahma, 20 Jarrod Bowen, 18 Pablo Fornals, 30 Michael Antonio
Substitutes: 24 Ryan Fredericks, 7 Andriy Yarmolenko, 16 Mark Noble
Scorer: 28 Tomas Soucek (2), 15 Craig Dawson
