Summary:
- Richards returns to starting XI
- Olise heads Palace into seventh-minute lead
- Mitchell blasts over moments later as Eagles dominate early stages
- Eze crashes in overhead kick to double Palace’s lead 10 minutes later
- Emerson prods past own ‘keeper under pressure from Muñoz
- Mateta slides in to make it four on the half-hour
- Antonio volleys over from close range
- Antonio pulls one back on the stroke of half-time
- Andersen heads over under pressure in injury-time
- HT: Palace 4-1 West Ham
- Fabianski denies Eze as Palace start second-half brightly
- Tempo dips as visitors go like-for-like in shape
- Mateta slams home a fifth just past the hour mark
- Eze denied Palace’s club-record sixth in a Premier League game
- Miscontrolled pass sees late own-goal in West Ham’s favour
- FT: Palace 5-2 West Ham
After a performance of the highest quality against Liverpool at Anfield – one recognised by the League Managers’ Association as the best of the gameweek – the Eagles had plenty of wind beneath their wings for the arrival of David Moyes’ West Ham United side.
It showed. In a first-half of near perfection, Palace were first to every loose ball, snapping into tackles, shifting the ball forwards quickly, finding runners – and sprawling all over their east London opposition.
It took just seven minutes for the first goal to arrive for Palace – and it was a sign of the bombardment on the West Ham goalmouth to come.
After Ebere Eze – influential in the No. 10 role – had seen his first corner cleared, a clever interchange of passes with Michael Olise and Adam Wharton on the edge of the box gave Joachim Andersen the space to clip in a cute cross. Olise – following it in – made contact before the onrushing Lukasz Fabianski, glancing into the unguarded net.
Moments later, it should have been two. A long ball forwards from Muñoz was brought down superbly by Eze on the edge of the box, and he slipped in Tyrick Mitchell on the overlap. The full-back cut back onto his right foot but, with just Fabianski to beat, lashed over.
The ground was rocking and the chances kept coming. Eze was next to go close with a low effort from distance as Palace found space in the West Ham half time and again – but he would not be denied with the Eagles’ next opening.
In truth, it stemmed from a poor pass out from the back from Kurt Zouma on 15 minutes, but Will Hughes snapped into the challenge, nicking the ball to Eze who in turn played through Mateta. Striking from the angle, the forward's shot across goal was kicked up into the air by Fabianski – only for Eze to produce an outrageous overhead kick to slam home the rebound.
And two minutes later, it was three – another clipped cross from the left saw Emerson, under pressure from Muñoz and mere yards from his own goal, prod beyond Fabianski. Palace were in dreamland.
The shots kept coming, Palace’s pressure immense, the tempo high. Eze fired narrowly wide from 30 yards, Olise tested Fabianski’s handling from a free-kick, Eze spun Edson Alvarez before shooting over – and Palace remained dominant.
On the half-hour mark, a fourth – another superb passage of quick passing freeing Olise to flash the ball across the face of goal, with Mateta gleefully sliding in to turn the chance home.
After a poor opening spell, West Ham did finish the half strongly – and got a goal back on the stroke of half-time when James Ward-Prowse’s deep free-kick was headed back across goal by Tomas Souček; Michail Antonio, who had gone close from another set-piece moments prior, saw this close-range finish survive a VAR check for offside.
Palace perhaps ought to have made it five on the stroke of half-time but Andersen – excellent again in his defensive work – had to lean back to meet Hughes’ flat cross, and headed over from close range.
Nevertheless, it was as good a half’s performance as Crystal Palace have produced this season – simply outplaying their struggling opponents.
West Ham manager David Moyes introduced two substitutes – and a change of shape, going like-for-like with five at the back – at the break, which did help stem the tide somewhat from half-time.
But there was a chance for Eze to grab his second shortly after the restart as more excellent work from Muñoz saw him tee up the No. 10 on the penalty spot. With time and space, he carried the ball inside the defender – but his placed finish was well saved by Fabianski.
West Ham’s change of shape did stymie the flow of chances and, with both teams making multiple substitutions, the second-half saw fewer openings for either side.
Nevertheless, Palace remained in control and on top of their opponents, claiming a superb fifth when a back-to-front break – kick-started by Mitchell – culminated in Eze poking the ball through Zouma’s legs for Mateta, who had been left unmarked in a central position. He shaped to shoot towards the far post – and duly slammed it in at the near – to quell any lingering nerves in SE25.
What proceeded was a slower-paced, but professional, job from Palace, who kept the ball well and – when West Ham did break – snapped into well-timed challenges to prevent the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Antonio from getting shots away in good positions. Chris Richards, Nathaniel Clyne and Andersen were, as a unit, outstanding.
More chances came their way – admittedly fewer than in the first-half – with Eze influential until his late withdrawal, shooting narrowly wide after one fine solo run, and Jordan Ayew also an energetic second-half substitute.
West Ham would get a goal back as the game ticked into additional time – an unfortunate moment from a Palace perspective, after Mitchell’s backpass was miscontrolled by Henderson, and trickled into the net.
But no matter – it did not take the gloss off the performance which had gone before it, Palace superb in their work to record back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.
A five-star showing – and a day which will be remembered fondly by all those in red and blue.
Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Clyne, Andersen, Richards, Mitchell, Hughes (Riedewald, 81), Wharton (Ahamada, 61), Eze (Schlupp, 81), Olise (Ayew, 68), Mateta (Edouard, 68).
Subs: Matthews (GK), Ward, Tomkins, Holding.
West Ham: Fabianski (GK), Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna (Cresswell, 45), Emerson, Souček (Johnson, 45), Álvarez (Phillips, 75), Ward-Prowse, Paquetá, Kudus (Cornet, 85), Antonio (Ings, 75)
Subs: Areola (GK), Casey, Orford, Mubama.