West Ham United secured a vital 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace in a fiercely contested London Derby. The match was marked by intense battles throughout, with both teams struggling to break the deadlock in the first half. Crystal Palace came closest when Eberechi Eze hit the crossbar with a powerful long-range effort, while Lucas Paquetá also tried his luck from distance for West Ham.
The breakthrough finally came in the second half when Tomas Soucek scored with a well-placed finish following a well-executed move down the right flank involving substitute Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jarrod Bowen. Bowen, who had been lively throughout the match, then doubled West Ham’s lead with a composed finish after a driving run from Max Kilman.
Despite Crystal Palace’s best efforts to get back into the game, including missed opportunities from Ismaila Sarr and another chance for Eze, West Ham’s solid defensive display ensured they held on for the 2-0 win. The victory earned West Ham three crucial points and highlighted their resilience and effectiveness in key moments of the match.
| Crystal Palace | Statistics | West Ham United |
|---|---|---|
| 59% | Possession | 41% |
| 14 | Shots | 18 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 3 | Corners | 3 |
| 9 | Fouls | 17 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Here’s the player ratings summary for Crystal Palace:
– **Dean Henderson – 5/10:** Had little to do in the first half, but his distribution was wasteful.
– **Marc Guehi – 7/10:** Busy in defense and nearly impassable, with excellent long passes forward.
– **Chadi Riad – 5/10:** Showed grit but struggled in aerial duels and was beaten by Bowen for West Ham’s second goal.
– **Chris Richards – 6/10:** Managed Antonio’s physicality in the first half but found it tougher against Fullkrug.
– **Daniel Munoz – 6/10:** Solid defensively, with more attacking threat in the first half.
– **Tyrick Mitchell – 6/10:** Strong defensively, with some crucial interventions, though not much success in overlapping attacks.
– **Adam Wharton – 7/10:** Conducted the midfield calmly, linking play well and strong in tackles.
– **Jefferson Lerma – 7/10:** Worked hard alongside Wharton to break up play effectively.
– **Eberechi Eze – 7/10:** Palace’s most creative outlet, hit the crossbar with a fantastic effort and led attacking moves.
– **Odsonne Edouard – 6/10:** Played close to Mateta, contributed well to the press.
– **Jean-Philippe Mateta – 5/10:** Struggled to make a significant impact but showed some good link-up play.
**Substitutes:**
– **Daichi Kamada – 6/10:** Provided good link-up play and accurate long-range passes.
– **Ismaila Sarr – 4/10:** Missed a golden opportunity from close range soon after coming on.
– **Jeffrey Schlupp – 5/10:** Added energy with forward runs but had limited time to influence the game further.
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