Premier League GW14 - West Ham vs Crystal Palace

West Ham vs Crystal Palace | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

A fierce match took place at the London Stadium as West Ham and Crystal Palace battled to a 1-1 draw. Riding high on momentum, the Hammers took on a tenacious Palace team keen to avenge a recent setback. With flashes of genius, defensive tenacity, and a share of the spoils, the match lived up to the hype.

West Ham:

The Hammers want to build on their strong recent performance, which has seen them win four straight games across all competitions. More victories than they had in their previous seven Premier League games (W1 D1 L5) have been achieved by David Moyes' team in their last two games. West Ham lost both of their Premier League games against Palace last season, so they didn't have much success against them. If things go their way, a win may propel the Hammers above Brighton into eighth place in the standings.

Crystal Palace:

In order to give the Hatters their first home win of the Premier League season, Palace will be seeking to recover from their humiliating loss to Luton Town on the road last week. Michael Olise's inventiveness may be the key for Roy Hodgson's team. In his last ten competition games, he has contributed to seven goals (1 goal, 6 assists). In their last 16 London derby games (D5 L9), the Eagles have only won twice, and both of those victories came against West Ham. They might move up to 11th place, above Chelsea, with a victory today.

Line Ups:

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1):

Alphonse Areola; Emerson, Nayef Aguerd, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Vladimir Coufal; James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez; Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek, Mohammed Kudus; Jarrod Bowen.

WEST HAM SUBS: Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell, Pablo Fornals, Maxwel Cornet, Danny Ings, Angelo Ogbonna, Said Benrahma, Thilo Kehrer, Divin Mubama.

CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1):

Sam Johnstone; Tyrick Mitchell, Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Joel Ward; Jefferson Lerma, Chris Richards; Jordan Ayew, Will Hughes, Michael Olise; Odsonne Edouard.

CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: James Tomkins, Matheus Franca, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Nathaniel Clyne, Malcolm Ebiowei, Naouirou Ahamada, Remi Matthews, Joe Whitworth, Jairo Riedewald.

London Stadium | Picture Credits: SportsPro Media Website

First Half: Kudus Shines as West Ham Takes the Lead

West Ham's goal in the first exchanges was to continue their remarkable winning run. The thirteenth minute was a magical moment. With a deft ball, Ward-Prowse found Coufal on the right, who cut it back to Kudus. The Ghanaian international took advantage of the situation and struck the ball first time into the lower corner, rendering Johnstone defenseless. It was a fantastic move, and West Ham was ahead 1-0.

Both teams had little opportunities as the first half went on. The closest Palace came to breaking through the Hammers' defense was when Andersen mishandled a free-kick. Even though there weren't many obvious opportunities, Palace was still in the game at halftime, losing 1-0.

West Ham had a narrow 1-0 advantage at the half. Although Kudus's clinical finish proved to be the difference, Hodgson's Palace attempted a resurgence led by Olise's inventiveness. Though Olise lost possession, he remained an important player for the Eagles, and they needed more from their offensive guys.

Olise was a gifted attacker who needed to step up his game, but Palace tried to seize every chance to get him. A pivotal second half was set up by West Ham's staunch defense, which held Palace to low anticipated goals (xG).

Second Half: Edouard Strikes Back

Palace came out in the second half determined to close the gap. West Ham's attempt to play out from the back was unsuccessful in the 53rd minute. After Mavropanos misplaced his pass, Edouard took possession and calmly moved the ball to his left foot and sent it beyond Areola. It was 1-1 after Moyes' team gave the Eagles a chance to equalize.

West Ham missed a great chance to take the lead as the game went on. Paqueta discovered Soucek's delivery and delivered a risky cross. Unmarked at the back post, Emerson missed an opportunity to put his team ahead with a close-range shot.

Ultimately, the match at London Stadium ended with a 1-1 draw for the hosts. Kudus gave West Ham an early lead, but Edouard's fine finish following a defensive blunder cancelled it out. Both teams had late opportunities, but the score stayed the same.

A Share of the Spoils

West Ham lost a chance to move up the standings as they prepared for a London derby against Tottenham. Palace, in contrast, will welcome Bournemouth with the intention of getting back to winning ways. A thrilling match took place in London Stadium, and as the final siren went off, both sides had gained a point. Football fans will relish the drama of this London match till the next exciting match. For now, good bye!

Kudus's goal gave West Ham the lead in the first half | Picture Credits: West Ham Website

Edouard's goal levelled the score | Picture Credits: Premier League Website