Premier LeagueCrystal Palace 0-2 West Ham United
Saturday, 24th August 2024
by Chris Wilkerson
The obituaries for Tomas Soucek's West Ham career are being hastily deleted by clickbait sites and keyboard critics as the big Czech midfielder fired his side to a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday afternoon.
Far from perfect he was, sure, but so was much of the performance from the team until the much-maligned midfielder got onto a loose ball in the box and guided it around the bodies in front of him and past Dean Henderson in the Palace goal to break the deadlock.A Jarrod Bowen rocket five minutes later settled things, getting West Ham and Julen Lopetegui off the mark this season with their first victory, and their first clean sheet since January.
Those expecting big changes after the defeat at home to Aston Villa last week were disappointed as the manager stuck with the side he chose for the season opener.
The hosts have spent the summer fighting off the interest of the vultures circling around their stars, this their reward for a wonderful finish to the last season. Olise and Andersen are gone, whilst maybe only West Ham fans were happy that Jordan Ayew joined Leicester in the week.
But Eze and Guehi remain, and the manager Glasner has really made his mark on this team. The solidity of Roy's team isn't gone, but now the pace they move forward in is instant, pouncing on mistakes and going direct in the transition.
It's where they thrived, almost more comfortable allowing West Ham to hold possession so that they could catch the visitors out and break out of their disciplined shape.
In truth, it was often a fantastic game, even when the chances lulled. Both teams were active, looking to score, looking to exploit, looking to find the edge in a very even contest.
It started fast, Soucek and Antonio coming close as the former met a good corner to glance it towards the far post. Antonio peeled away and found space in the six-yard box, but couldn't quite get the contact to threaten goal.
A couple minutes later, Palace could have taken the lead themselves as Mavropanos gave the ball away under very little pressure. Eze and Mateta flew forward, the pair attacking two West Ham defenders in retreat. The defence held their ground and Eze faltered, but his eventual shot deflected high and looped towards goal. Areola retreated frantically, desperately, and was grateful to see the ball drop over the bar.
And then another chance, this time the excellent Kilman meeting a corner and glancing it to the far post, but this time Antonio couldn't get a touch as it drifted wide.
It was a frantic 10 minutes, and Kudus smacked one wide a minute later as his first shot was blocked, and his second on the right went just wide.
A goalkeeper was finally tested on 15 minutes when again Palace broke at speed after Antonio was dispossessed. Coufal had started his run forward, so Palace exploited the space he'd left. Eze made it into the area, but Areola was out quick and made a good save.
Antonio had half a chance, but in this back and forth opening 20 minutes, it was the Eagles who should have had the lead.
Winning possession on the edge of their own box, the counter was launched. Within three passes, Eduoard was behind the defence down the right and moving at goal. He made it into the box but dragged his shot wide with Areola out to meet him. It was a huge chance.
The next 20 minutes were entertaining, but the held towards goal were filled as each team got accustomed to the threats they were facing.
There were little things starting to happen, such as Mateta sitting on Guido's toes when West Ham were in possession, trying to force the defenders to play more difficult passes out of defence, rather than just passing into the holding midfielder. Thankfully for West Ham, Kilman is every bit the defender West Ham thought Aguerd would be when they signed the Moroccan, the former Wolves man happy to not just fire some raking passes forwards, but also to burst past players and into midfield if given time on the ball.
After a solid, if unspectacular debut last week, this was the real deal from Kilman, looking every bit a ??40m defender.
He appears to have a bit of everything, but whilst it sometimes felt like defending was something Aguerd was forced to do when he wasn't galloping around or spraying beautiful diagonals, Kilman seems to relish his basics. If you have to earn the right to play nice football, Kilman is not just doing it for himself, but doing it for the team at its base.
The entertainment in the first half was drawing to a close when Eze looked to try finish with fireworks.
A short corner was quickly rolled to Eze at the edge of the box, and the England international struck first time, curling a dropping shot from right to left and beating Areola all ends up, only to smack the underside of the bar, bounce down and away to safety.
It was the end of an entertaining half, one that had seen two very well matched teams looking for the chink in the armour that might break the deadlock.
The shots still came flying in. Eduoard hit low from range, an easy save, Soucek saw a volley blocked wide, and Paqueta was the next West Ham player to get a glance at the near post that was just out of reach of a final touch, with Mavropanos just unable to reach the bouncing ball.
Around the hour mark, Lopetegui went to the bench. First stepped up the big German Fullkrug, but it was the debut of Aaron Wan-Bissaka that was most crucial.
The one-time Palace player stepped onto the pitch and looked like a man on a mission. His first touches showed the great defensive right back flying down the wing and skipping past players like the winger he once was.
The first run was just a taster, the second was vital. The right back again flew down the line with the ball and got West Ham on the attack at speed. He laid it off to Bowen, who squared into the box for Paqueta. The Brazilian's effort was weak, stretching for the ball, but it forced it loose in the Palace box.
Fullkrug tried but couldn't get to it, the ball flicked away from him and closer to the edge of the box, right where Tomas Soucek was arriving. Opening his body up, Soucek curled it around the mass of bodies in front of him with his left foot to give West Ham a priceless lead in a game that looked like it could easily be settled by one moment of quality.
The bigger drama was to follow as the players went to the away fans behind the goal, who rushed to celebrate with them. As they did, the advertising hoarding in front of them collapsed, and collapsed onto the back of a young ballboy sitting on a chair right in front of it.
With a hefty wall and a group of away fans on his back, the young lad could have been seriously harmed, and it might have only been the quick thinking of Tomas Soucek that saved significant injury. The midfielder can be seen using all his strength to try and hold the hoarding up off the lad's back, his hands gripping it the advertisement with both hands just above the ballboy to relieve the pressure. With a little help from Jarrod Bowen, out he squeezed, and both Bowen and Soucek stayed with the young man to make sure he was ok until he was taken away by a steward.
Thankfully, he appears to be fine, with Bowen giving him a shirt after the game and the boy talking about how he wanted to be OK for his football match on Sunday.
With that all cleared up, the game got back underway with Palace now desperate to find an equaliser. The game, so balanced as it had been throughout, looked set to finish with the West Ham defence under pressure and the home side flooding forward.
But a second goal took the air out of Glasner's men before they could really get up and going. Five minutes after the opener, Bowen had doubled the lead.
This is the glorious thing about Jarrod Bowen. It had not been one of his better games, the England international still not looking up to his best after a long summer, but his growth as a player has seen him become one of those who always has a goal in him, however he's playing.
This time, it was excellence from Kilman that got West Ham forward, the defender winning the ball on the edge of the box and striding forward into the space ahead of him. Palace were committed high, chasing that goal, and left themselves vulnerable on the counter. Kilman's forward thinking tool advantage of that, gliding up to halfway and then curling a pass from the middle to the right wing for Bowen.
Fullkrug made a smart run, moving the defender out of Bowen's space and giving him something to attack, and the winger duly obliged, driving into the area on his left and rifling an effort into the corner with Henderson beaten by the power and placement of the ball.
That breathing space was vital. In front of their home fans for the first time this season, on the back of an opening day defeat at Brentford, Glasner's side were desperate to get up and running.
They had chances to get a hold on the game again, but just couldn't find the finishing touch.
Moments after Bowen's goal, Mateta should have halved the deficit. Substitute Sarr get down the right wing and flashed a ball across goal. Mavropanos dived to block it, but let the ball through his legs and to Mateta behind him, but the Frenchman must have lost the ball in the defender's challenge because he stumbled on the shot, prodding wide with the goal gaping.
Almost instantly, Sarr himself should have scored after an Eze cross was headed back into the middle by the overlapping Munoz, only for Sarr to hit his shot right at Areola from six yards out. The flag did go up, but it looked one VAR may have overruled.
A minute after that, the substitute was again in the action as Sarr met a cross from the left, but with his thigh. It looped up and away from Areola, and the ground froze to watch as it slowly spiralled off the outside of the post and wide.
It was a three-minute salvo that threatened much but delivered nothing, and once Lopetegui smartly went to his bench and replaced the booked Soucek with Edson Alvarez, and later both Kudus and Emerson with Todibo and Cresswell, the game slowed down and The Hammers closed it out comfortably to get themselves off the mark this season. That could be vital, considering Lopetegui's side have only Manchester City left to face before the international break.
Manager's Rating
Julen Lopetegui 8/10: In a tight game, his changes paid off. Wan-Bissaka gave West Ham pace down the right and a quicker threat on the counter, Fullkrug showed good movement for Bowen's goal. On top of that, with fans desperate for changes, he stuck with a team and it worked. His faith in Soucek was again rewarded.
Want to submit your match reports to KUMB.com? More details here ...
Click to view all West Ham United vs Crystal Palace match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Alphonse AreolaNot really tested, but did well with the moments of threat he did have to face.
Vladimir Coufal
That lack of pace was exposed a few times as Palace quickly countered into the space left behind as he pushed forward. It was made worse by Wan-Bissaka coming on and galloping past players like a gazelle.
Emerson Palmieri
A fine performance, but all of his best performances and moments for West Ham seem to need Paqueta there alongside him. With his bestie firmly in the centre of midfield now, Emerson has shone less and less.
Max Kilman
Just every bit the defender West Ham needed. With all the goals conceded last season - we may have all tried to forget the 5-2 defeat here in April - it was suddenly a summer about solid defenders and ripping up what we had back there. And whilst that was right, the need for a centre back who could pass out from the back, and drive out with the ball, was still there from Moyes's time at the club. Even his best side was missing that, and whilst Aguerd didn't quite kick on and become that, Kilman looks a safe bet to be that guy. He was magnificent in his basics as a defender and his forward play.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
After a shaky start, the centre back improved. He's a very good defender to have in reserve, whilst also being one you cannot completely rely on to want as first choice. The mistakes are often entirely unforced, something not clicking in the brain when an unexpected problem arises.
Guido Rodriguez
Doing that holding role like you want it to be done, which is generally in an understated and efficient way. Looked more up to speed this time out, and made a lot of good interventions in midfield and in front of the defence to stop things progressing. Comfortable on the ball and made enough of an impact with it that Palace changed their approach to sit Mateta on the Argentine, which then removed pressure on the centre backs in possession.
Lucas Paqueta
Not a strong performance, but the Brazilian is being judged by different standards to many of his teammates. They just expect more. But he is now learning the centre midfield role that Lopeteugui wants, after two seasons learning how Moyes first wanted him as a number 10, and then as a left winger. His problem might be that Soucek in that attacking midfield role has been key in 2 of 3 West Ham goals this season, so Alvarez's return might push Paqueta out, rather than up.
Tomas Soucek
(10/10 for stewarding) It wasn't a particularly vintage game for Tommy, but his knack of just being the one who does the right thing in the opposition box has gone nowhere, and manager's will always want players who do what Soucek does. He was quiet in the game otherwise, but Lopetegui seems to have found a role that gets the impact without seeing the midfielder exposed in the passing football deeper.
Michail Antonio
Antonio often needs minutes to get sharp after an absence, but the man who talks about liking competition has been pretty woeful these opening two games, and Fullkrug must be ready to start. 10 passes, six completed, and two poor shots.
Jarrod Bowen
There is more to come from Bowen as he recovers from his first summer of international football, but he will score goals when given the opportunity. Undercooked from a lack of preseason or overcooked after summer exertions? Who knows, but the eye for goal won't disappear.
Mohammed Kudus
Not at his best, with the odd exciting carry and one good shot about all he had to show for his game. Of the starters, only Antonio played fewer passes, and Kudus played 25 minutes more.
Substitutes
Aaron Wan-Bissaka(Replaced Coufal, 62) The perfect cameo. He instantly changed opinions on him by coming on and dribbling with speed, skill and confidence, beating players with deft footwork as much as pure pace. It' not just that he could do it, it's that his reputation suggests not only can he not, but that he doesn't look forward either. That was proven wrong, as his first thought was about progressing the play. He flew forward for the opener, but was on the overlap for Bowen's goal, too. Great debut.
Niclas Fullkrug
(Replaced Antonio, 62) Needs more time on the pitch to see where he fits and how Bowen and Kudus might benefit from him in this Lopetegui system, but his movement is good.
Edson Alvarez
(Replaced Soucek, 77) Did a fine job, looked combative, and also looked like he might suit being the roamer of a deeper lying pair, with Rodriguez staying in position. He often wanted to close down more aggressively than the system allowed last season, so could thrive with the freedom to do more.
Jean-Clair Todibo
(Replaced Kudus, 88) No comments.
Aaron Cresswell
(Replaced Emerson, 88) No comments.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Vladimir Coufal, Emerson Palmieri, Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Guido Rodriguez, Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus.Goals: None.
Booked: None booked. .
Sent Off: None sent off. .
Crystal Palace: Henderson, Munoz, Guehi, Riad, Richards (Schlupp 82), Mitchell, Lerma (Kamada 63), Wharton, Eze, Mateta, Edouard ( Sarr 71).
Subs not used: Johnstone, Clyne, Ward, Holding, Doucoure, Ahamada.
Goals: .
Booked: Lerma.
Sent off: None.
Referee: Rob Jones.
Attendance: 25,099.
Man of the Match: Max Kilman.