Crystal Palace 0-2 West Ham United. Second-half goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen secured West Ham’s first Premier League win under new manager Julen Lopetegui and handed Crystal Palace their first home defeat since early April.
Soucek broke the deadlock with a goal from a loose ball inside the Palace area, capitalising on a key assist from substitute Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Bowen then added to the scoreline with his first goal against Palace, driving a left-footed shot inside the near post and celebrating with the jubilant West Ham supporters.
The match at Selhurst Park was lively in the first 20 minutes, with chances for both sides. Michail Antonio and Mohammed Kudus came close for West Ham, while Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard missed clear-cut opportunities for Palace. Eze’s shot from a short-corner routine struck the crossbar late in the first half, with Alphonse Areola beaten.
The second half was less eventful until Soucek’s goal midway through the period. Bowen’s strike soon after sealed the win for West Ham. Despite being unlucky in not securing points against Aston Villa the previous week, West Ham took their chances at Selhurst Park, earning a valuable three points.
West Ham had several first-half opportunities, including a header from Antonio and a shot from Kudus that hit the side-netting. However, they struggled to get a shot on target before halftime and were fortunate to be level as Palace squandered chances.
Wan-Bissaka played a crucial role in the opening goal, advancing from deep and assisting Lucas Paqueta. Paqueta’s shot was blocked, but Soucek was on hand to score from the rebound. During the celebration, an advertising board fell on a ball boy, but Soucek quickly moved it and Bowen helped the boy to his feet.
Bowen capped the win with a low shot into the bottom corner after a precise pass from Max Kilman and a deft sidestep around Palace defender Chadi Riad. This victory not only marked West Ham’s first win over Palace since January 2022 but also their first Premier League clean sheet in 20 matches, the last being a goalless draw with Brighton earlier this year.
Lopetegui praised his team’s resilience and acknowledged the difficulty of the match, noting the need for continued improvement.
For Palace, the result exposed their need for reinforcement in attack, especially following the departures of Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew and with Marc Guehi’s future uncertain. Eze and Edouard were particularly wasteful, with Eze’s effort hitting the crossbar just before halftime and Edouard missing a promising chance. Substitute Ismaila Sarr also hit the bar late on.
Manager Oliver Glasner expressed disappointment, comparing the loss to their previous defeat against Brentford. He emphasized the need to turn around their form and secure victories.
The defeat ends Palace’s streak of four consecutive home league wins and is the first time striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has failed to score at Selhurst Park since Glasner’s appointment.
source – BBC
