Report & Highlights: Five-star Palace hammer West Ham

Summary

• Three changes to the side which faced Chelsea before the winter break

• 1: Casey almost puts Palace ahead after 30 seconds

• 3: Hill makes a strong stop to deny Caliste

• 6: Henry nets for Palace, but it’s ruled out for offside

• 7: Halim is denied by Judd and Hill

• 13: Cowin almost sees a free-kick in under the bar, Williams’ follow-up is saved

• 24: Casey nets for Palace, but it’s ruled out for offside once again

• 37: Williams’ curling effort is saved by Awesu

• 44 - GOAL: Okoli puts Palace ahead on the stroke of half-time

• HT: West Ham 0-1 Palace

• 55: Awesu is down injured for five minutes and West Ham bring on Hooper

• 64: Cowin almost scores directly from a corner

• 73: Adams-Collman is denied from close range

• 74 - GOAL: Palace double their lead through Williams

• 75: Hill denies Halim straight after the restart

• 78 - GOAL: Casey adds a third from the spot

• 84 - GOAL: Okoli scores a stunning strike from 40-yards out

• 90+2 - GOAL: King nets the fifth for Palace in stoppage time

• 90+8: Montjen, Drakes-Thomas and Osei have efforts for a sixth

• FT: West Ham 0-5 Palace

Crystal Palace Under-18s travelled to face West Ham United in their first game of 2025, after ending the previous year with a stunning 4-2 comeback against Chelsea.

Head coach Rob Quinn made three changes to the side which won against the Blues, with Jasper Judd, Freddie Cowin and George King coming in for Dean Benamar, Jacob Fasida and Jesse Derry.

It was a rapid-fire start with chances coming thick and fast for both sides. Within 30 seconds Benji Casey found himself in behind the West Ham defence following a simple ball over the top, but he dragged his effort narrowly wide of the post.

West Ham went straight down the other end and had a chance through Gabriel Caliste, but Marcus Hill in the Palace goal made a strong stop to deny the forward.

End-to-end action engulfed the opening 20 minutes - with Zack Henry having an opener chalked off for offside, Mehmet Halim being denied by Judd and Hill, Cowin almost scoring from a wide free-kick and Caliste seeing another attempt on goal blocked.

The ball was in the back of the net once more for Palace halfway through the first-half, as Casey wheeled away in celebration, but it was once again ruled out for offside.

It looked as though the two sides were going into the break level, as Casey’s diving header went wide of the mark and a curling effort from Seb Williams was saved, but Chuks Okoli had other ideas.

Kai-Reece Adams-Collman kept the ball alive from a corner, firing a shot on goal which was initially blocked, however Okoli reacted quickest to fire in the opener on the stroke of half-time inside the box.

With Palace a goal to the good at the break, they went into the second-half with a spring in their step trying to gain a two-goal cushion. It was difficult to build momentum, as play was broken up by injuries to West Ham’s goalkeeper Lanre Awesu and Riley Hargan.

Palace’s best chances in the half initially fell to Cowin - who nearly found the net directly from a corner - while Adams-Collman was denied from close range by substitute goalkeeper Finley Hooper following excellent build-up play from Joel Drakes-Thomas and Zack Henry.

With just over 15 minutes to play, Palace doubled their lead through skipper Williams. West Ham initially cleared a Drakes-Thomas corner away, but Williams reacted quickest inside the box to rifle it into the far corner.

The floodgates opened following Williams’ goal as Palace netted a third from the spot. Casey was initially fouled by Rayan Oyebade, before he picked himself up and dusted himself off to net his fifth of the campaign.

A remarkable fourth goal came from out of nowhere as a misplaced pass from Lewis Beckford was pounced upon by Okoli. Palace’s No. 8 struck it first-time from about 40-yards out and it managed to loop in off the underside of the crossbar - a sensational way to secure a brace.

In stoppage time, centre-back King notched Palace’s fifth and duly wrapped up all three points for the young Eagles. A corner from Drakes-Thomas was not properly dealt with by the Hammers, and King reacted quickest to turn it in from close range.

Chances came and went for a sixth, as substitutes Jerome Osei and David Montjen both had efforts that were close and ruled out for offside respectively.

With five goals, three points and a clean sheet secured after 10 minutes of stoppage time, the young Eagles cannon up the table into third place, three points behind leaders Aston Villa and a point behind Southampton in second.

West Ham: Awesu (GK) (Hooper (GK), 54), Medine, Jonyla (Dike, HT), Kamara, Oyebade, Nwosu, Sowunmi, Hargan (Beckford, 67), Halim (Chigwada, 79), Caliste, Balogun (Unwin, HT).

Palace: Hill (GK), Judd (Fasida, 80), Cowin, Adams-Collman, Somade, King, Drakes-Thomas, Okoli, Casey (Montjen, 90), Williams (Osei, 90), Henry (Oduro, 90).

Subs not used: Mason (GK).