Crystal Palace 4 West Ham 3: Relegation fight thriller leaves Eagles all-but safe as Zaha returns from injury with goal

CRYSTAL PALACE surely secured Premier League safety by coming out on top in a lunchtime feast of a game.

But West Ham and boss David Moyes were once more left cursing match officials after another penalty decision went against them at a crucial time.

Zaha scored on his return from injury

Moyes has demanded an apology after neither on-field officials nor VAR thought Liverpool midfielder Thiago’s handball merited a spotkick in the Hammers’ 2-1 home defeat on Wednesday night

Less than three days later, with the game finely poised at 3-2 to the home side, Palace’s Ebe Eze went down in the box under a challenge by Nayef Aguerd.

There seemed to have been little or no contact, but VAR Jarred Gillett saw no reason to ask referee Craig Pawson to look at the incident again.

Eze tucked away the spotkick and the Hammers were two behind again.

The visitors pulled one when Michail Antonio and Nayef Aguerd combined to bundle the ball over the line.

But the Hammers could not find an equaliser and so still have the threat of relegation hanging over them, as well as the more pleasant prospect of a European semi-final

Meanwhile it must be mission accomplished for interim Palace boss Roy Hodgson as the win took his side to the 40-point mark that is usually enough to stay up and certainly should be this season.

The Premier League’s two oldest managers had managed 1040 top-flight games in England between them.

But even they can have seen few as entertaining and seesawing as this one, especially in the first half.

After an even opening period, West Ham took the lead.

Michael Olise met Jarrod Bowen’s corner with an unchallenged header but could only send the ball across the six-yard area and Soucek pounced to sweep the ball home.

It took Palace less than six minutes to draw level and Olise to make amends.

A good, patient move ended with the winger laying the ball into the path of Ayew, who beat Fabianski at his near post.

To make matters worse for the Hammers, centre back Kurt Zouma had to go off after being caught by Ayew’s follow-through after the shot.

“That’s how your cat feels,” the Palace fans sang to Zouma in reference to his animal cruelty conviction..

The away support took another kick moments later. Olise found his way deep into the box, nutmegged substitute Angelo Ogbonna and then saw the ball deflect off Nayef Aguerd to Zaha.

The Palace captain scooped in from close range. 

A very watchable game continued with Michail Antonio and Marc Guehi sending headers off target at either end.

But then West Ham gifted Palace a third. Trying to play out from the back, Aguerd’s pass to Soucek invited Schlupp to press and the midfielder won the ball easily before advancing to stroke the ball calmly past Fabianski.

Soon afterwards the former Premier League winner sent a shot just over the crossbar as the home side threatened to take control.

They didn’t, though, as the Hammers hit back.

Soucek made up a bit for his previous error by flicking on an Emerson corner and Antonio was at the back post to nod the ball into the net.

A fabulous first half ended with the home crowd screaming for a penalty after Vladimir Coufal and Zaha tumbled to the ground, but referee Craig Pawson decided it was nothing doing.

Moyes had seen enough and made a double change at the break, sending on Aaron Cresswell for Emerson and Said Benrahma for the ineffective Pablo Fornals.

Palace continued to have the upper hand but the chances that had flowed at both ends in the first half dried up.

Olise brought a good save out of Fabianski, before Palace were given a controversial penalty.

Aguerd did not seem to make much, if any, contact with Eze as he received a return pass from Ayew, but as at the London Stadium on Wednesday, the VAR did not think the on-pitch decision had done West Ham an injustice.

Eze scored with the minimum of fuss.

But it was far from over. Another Bowen corner and another Soucek flick-on produced another goal.

It was unclear whether Aguerd or Antonio got the final touch, but after a VAR check for handball, the scoreline was confirmed as 4-3.

With Danny Ings on the pitch, then Maxwell Corner replacing Antonio, the visitors were playing a 4-2-4 in search of an equaliser and a precious point.

But despite six minutes of stoppage time, they could not find it. Aguerd and Odsonne Edouard had a touchline dust-up in the dying seconds, and it was Palace who emerged on top from a thrilling, sun-drenched early afternoon.

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