Michael Olise’s dramatic injury-time strike gave Crystal Palace its first Premier League away win of the season as they beat West Ham.
With practically the last kick of the game, he curled in a shot from the edge of the box which took a huge deflection off Aaron Cresswell and flew into the top corner.
The result ended West Ham’s six-game winning home run in all competitions. This was the first time they dropped points at home since August.
West Ham led when Said Benrahma marked his 100th appearance for the club with a powerful strike from outside the box.
That goal came slightly against the run of play, but Wilfried Zaha drilled in an equaliser for Palace after good work from Eberechi Eze.
The Hammers were awarded a penalty with 10 minutes to go with Marc Guehi making minimal contact with Michail Antonio – although that decision was overturned after a video assistant referee review.
Antonio wasted a good attack late on when his poor cross was caught by Vicente Guaita and seconds later Olise won the game for Palace.
Patrick Vieira’s Palace is ninth, five points above West Ham in 15th.
The visitors created plenty of chances to win this match but it looked as if it was never going to come. The only away win they had managed this season until now was at Oxford in the Carabao Cup.
But then Olise was the hero in the fourth minute of injury time with a fortuitous deflected goal. In one of those quirks of football, this was his first Premier League goal since netting in the last minute against the same opposition on New Year’s Day – although that was a defeat.
Extra frustrating for West Ham is the fact Antonio could have helped set up a winner – or taken the ball to the corner – seconds earlier.
Eze had a few chances to score early on, forcing a save from Lukasz Fabianski with a free-kick and firing two shots wide, as well as dragging two shots wide.
This was probably his last chance to impress boss Gareth Southgate, who names his World Cup squad on Thursday.
He did well for the Eagle’s equaliser though, taking the ball off Thilo Kehrer, who struggled to control Craig Dawson’s overhit pass, before feeding Zaha to score.
That was Zaha’s first away goal at West Ham in nine attempts.
His goal was a welcome relief after Benrahma’s opener against the run of play following Palace’s good start. That one was set up by Lucas Paqueta on his return from a collarbone injury.
Dawson almost accidentally won the game for Palace as he blocked a cross with his keeper Fabianski doing well to keep it out.
West Ham did not create enough clear-cut chances after that to make it seven home wins in a row for the first time since 1999.
In fact, Palace keeper Vicente Guaita only made one save all day – to deny Kehrer in the second half.
They did think they were going to have a chance to win it when Antonio ran from halfway before feeling a slight bit of contact from Guehi’s arm and going theatrically down.
Referee Paul Tierney pointed to the spot, but realised his mistake when he saw the incident again on the screen.
And then Olise struck from Zaha’s pass.
This game came just three days after West Ham played in Romania in the Europa Conference League, a 3-0 win at FCSB, but with 11 changes made it would be hard to blame that for this performance.
source – BBC Sport
