Football Review | West Ham 1 - 2 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace deepened the pressure on Graham Potter with a 2-1 victory at West Ham. 

Home fans staged angry protests against the club’s hierarchy before and during the match.

Author | Jamie Pugh

Stadium | London Stadium

Jean-Philippe Mateta struck first in the 37th minute, reacting quickest to nod home after Alphonse Areola had tipped Marc Guehi’s header against the bar. The hosts responded early in the second half when Jarrod Bowen peeled away from his marker to head in from El Hadji Malick Diouf’s corner.

For a spell West Ham looked the likelier to score again. Lucas Paquetá saw an effort scrambled off the line by Chris Richards and Kyle Walker-Peters squandered two chances. Their failure to convert told when Tyrick Mitchell was left unmarked in the box and dispatched a crisp volley that proved decisive.

The contest unfolded against a backdrop of supporter unrest. Around 3,000 West Ham fans gathered before kick-off, brandishing banners and chanting against the board, with chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady the focus of anger. Inside the London Stadium the protests continued, with “sack the board” reverberating around the stands when the game was goalless. The players were booed at the interval and again at the final whistle.

Palace supporters joined in the mockery, singing “you’re getting sacked in the morning” at Potter, with sections of the home crowd echoing the chant. The manager has now overseen only six wins in 23 league games since taking over from Julen Lopetegui in January, collecting the same points tally of 23 as his predecessor but in three more matches.

Defensive woes cost Hammers again

Once again West Ham’s inability to defend set pieces proved costly. Going into the game, six of their 11 Premier League goals conceded had come from corners, a figure no other side had exceeded by more than three.

The familiar weakness was exposed early when Daichi Kamada forced Alphonse Areola, making his first league start of the season in place of Mads Hermansen, to tip over. Moments later Marc Guehi, whose deadline-day move to Liverpool collapsed when Brighton’s Igor Julio joined West Ham instead of Palace, climbed above his marker to head goalwards. Areola produced a fine save, only for Jean-Philippe Mateta to pounce on the rebound.

The stadium itself has long been a source of frustration for West Ham fans, who have often lamented the lack of atmosphere at the London Stadium compared with the intensity of Upton Park. For a spell it came alive when Jarrod Bowen’s header levelled the match, sparking renewed hope and drawing the crowd firmly behind the team.

But defensive lapses resurfaced. Tyrick Mitchell was left in space to dispatch a volley high into the net, undoing the hosts’ best spell and sealing Palace’s win.

West Ham now face a trip to Everton on 29 September, where David Moyes awaits. Some supporters pushed for his departure after a ninth-place finish two years ago, just a season after he delivered the club’s first major trophy in more than four decades. On recent evidence it is difficult to argue the side have made meaningful progress since his exit.