Match Report: West Ham's Impressive Attack Prolongs Fine Away Form
As Premier League duties resumed following the culmination of the second international break of the season, the focus was understandably on Jürgen Klopp’s first match in charge of Liverpool. However, the attention for the German should not take away what was an entertaining London derby between two of the campaign’s most exciting sides so far. Crystal Palace and West Ham have both performed above expectations in the opening stages of the season, with a solitary point separating the duo coming into the clash at Selhurst Park.
Both teams harbour outside chances of securing European qualification via the league. The Hammers foray in the Europa League prematurely ended at the playoff stages, so a target of returning to European competition is certainly not beyond their reach. Slaven Bilic’s side were also keen on prolonging their unbeaten away record in England's top tier this term when they made the short trip to Selhurst Park having taken more points on their travels (10) than any other team in the Premier League this season coming into Saturday’s fixture.
They did just that, but were made to wait for their chance to find a way past a resolute Palace defence for a second and third time. Dwight Gayle’s first half sending off meant the Eagles were forced to play the second 45 minutes with a numerical disadvantage, though it wasn’t until the dying embers of the encounter that West Ham managed to snatch all three points. Manuel Lanzini was on hand to smash past Wayne Hennessey from six yards, before Dimitri Payet guaranteed victory right at the death for the east London outfit, their fourth away from home in the Premier League this term, more than they managed in the whole of last season (3).
It’s hard to look beyond the impact of West Ham’s attacking three as a means with which they secured maximum points. The trio of Victor Moses Payet and Lanzini each contributed to one of the goals, Moses providing the assist for Carl Jenkinson’s opener, before Lanzini and Payet added West Ham’s second and third goals, the latter's provided for by the Argentine.
Lanzini in particular played a crucial role in the victory, with his WhoScored rating (9.35) enough to secure the man of the match award. The 22-year-old - a summer signing from Al Jazira - set his intentions early on, coming close to providing the opening goal for Payet, only for the Frenchman to fail to connect with his low cross just two minutes into the first half.
The Eagles should have spotted the warning signs early on, but ultimately struggled to limit the player’s influence. Lanzini completed five successful dribbles and played three key passes, yet was mature enough to know when to attempt an assist and retain possession, with 93.3% of his 90 attempted passes finding a West Ham player.
Despite the trio only arriving at Upton Park over the summer, they have each quickly struck up an understanding with one another that has propelled West Ham up the table. The way Moses, Lanzini and Payet stretched Palace across the pitch was a joy to behold at times, with Bilic deserving ample credit for the way he has tweaked the Hammers’ philosophy. “Are you watching Allardyce?” chanted the travelling West Ham fans as the fixture came to a head, with the Croatian manager quickly endearing himself to supporters.
The respective displays of the trio certainly warranted credit and it’s fair to say that, on another day, West Ham could have won by more than just the two goals. For that reason, Palace have Yohan Cabaye to thank. When down to 10 men, any team needs their leaders to step up to the occasion and Cabaye did just that, gaining a WhoScored rating of 7.45 - no other Eagles player gained higher than a 7.00. Only Cheikhou Kouyate (7) made more tackles than the Frenchman (5) and it was perhaps no coincidence that Palace sacrificed a positive result once he was withdrawn.
Alan Pardew praised the resilience of his players following Gayle’s red card, with Cabaye leading by example in the middle of the pitch. Unfortunately for Palace, though, Pardew’s decision to replace him with Joe Ledley 15 minutes from time ultimately cost the south London side a point.
Victory for West Ham lifted them up to third in the Premier League prior to Arsenal’s trip to Watford, in the process prolonging the club’s fine run of form away from home. 13 points from a possible 15 is a tremendous return from the Hammers, especially with a new manager at the helm, and with Moses, Lanzini and Payet, among others, singing from the same hymn sheet, one would be rash to rule them out of securing a European spot at this early stage of the campaign.
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