Bumbling Benteke may hog the headlines after a series of misses, but West Ham’s defence stood strong in the closing stages.
A contentious sending-off, a missed penalty, end-and-end attacking, intense 50-50 tackling, and a brilliantly crafted winner. Welcome back Premier League. How we have missed you.
As Slaven Bilic roared with delight on the touchline, the importance of West Ham’s hard-fought 1-0 win away at Selhurst Park could be lost on no-one. But, while everyone making that short trip to the Eastern corners of the capital will feel like a winner, which Hammer gets the extra reward of taking home this season’s brand new man-of-the-match award?
Crystal Palace
Steve Mandanda 6/10
Powerless to prevent Lanzini’s winner midway through the first half. Rarely stretched for the remainder of the game, yet made one impressive stop to deny Payet one-on-one.
Joel Ward 5/10
Struggled to deal with the vertical darts of Cresswell throughout the first half, Ward was pushed higher in the second as Palace changed shape. Kept West Ham’s raiding left-back quiet after the interval.
James Tomkins 7/10
Palace’s best defender, Tomkins dealt well with Zaza, defending high up the pitch and disrupting the Italian’s game with his physical presence.
Damien Delaney 6/10
Solid for the most part, though looked unsure of how to deal with Zaza when he dropped into the midfield.
Martin Kelly 5/10 (off 45′)
Offered very little going forwards, though that was not helped by Alan Pardew deploying him on his unflavoured flank. Subbed off at the break for the more natural left-sider, Zeki Fryers.
Joe Ledley 5/10 (off 45′)
Looked nervy at times in the midfield, thrashing at clearances and failing to maintain possession with any semblance of precision. Replaced by the more composed Yohan Cabaye.
James McArthur 6/10 (off 70′)
Pushed forwards alongside Christian Benteke in the second half and made a number of clever runs into the box. Failed to influence proceedings to any great effect, however, and failed to track Lanzini efficiently for the matchwinner.
Wilfried Zaha 6/10
A sporadic threat in the first half due to his clever bursts in behind the defence. Dragged a shot wide when well placed early on before playing a major role in the penalty by out-muscling Michail Antonio after an elusive run down the left. Faded in the second half.
Jason Puncheon 6/10
Forced to drop deep to pick up possession at times, Puncheon created only one clear chance throughout the 90 minutes, his disguised pass picking out Zaha for wasted strike from 18 yards. Much more effective out wide.
Andros Townsend 7/10
Palace’s most dangerous attacker once again, the England international was erratic and inconsistent but provided a number of testing floated crosses from either foot or flank. Switched onto the right midway through the first half and forced excellent defensive clearances from Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble within minutes.
Christian Benteke 4/10
A catastrophe for the previously in-form Belgian. Shanked a penalty horribly wide in the first half before clipping the outside of the post with a trademark header seconds after. A profligate display got even worse late on as he flicked over an open goal after Adrian flapped at a cross.
Subs
Zeki Fryers 5/10 (on 45′)
A more natural fit for the left-flank but failed to provide decent service.
Yohan Cabaye 7/10(on 45′)
Made a huge difference, added composure and confidence in possession. Almost supplied an equaliser on a few occasions thanks to some testing dead-ball deliveries. Must start more often.
Conor Wickham 5/10 (on 70′)
Brought on to complement Benteke, Wickham’s touch frequently let him down late on.
West Ham
Adrian 6/10
Rarely tested until the final stages until a superb reaction stop from Wickham in the final stages. Nearly ruined West Ham’s good work a few minutes earlier, however, as his flap almost gifted Benteke an equaliser.
Michail Antonio 6/10
A typically mixed display in an unfamiliar wing-back role, Antonio demonstrated his defensive vulnerability by getting caught on the wrong side of Zaha in the lead-up to Palace’s penalty. Much more effective going forward, as he proved with some dynamic bursts in the second half.
Chekhou Kouyate 8/10 – Man of the Match
Forced into a more defensive role to combat the aerial strength of Benteke, Kouyate stepped up to the plate with an immense performance on the right of West Ham’s back three. A superb defensive header under pressure from the flying Belgian in the first half summed up his performance.
Winston Reid 8/10
After a number of uncharacteristically shaky displays this season, the New Zealand international offered a stark reminder of his ability to lead by example at Selhurst Park. Always in the right place while his decision-making, questionable at times this season, was faultless, chesting back to Adrian from close range with immense composure.
Angelo Ogbonna 5/10
Thankfully, the reliability of centre-back partners Reid and Kouyate bailed out the former Juventus defender who, once again, showcased his penchant of panicking under pressure. Gave away a naïve penalty with a baffling swing at Benteke.
Aaron Cresswell 7/10
A superb return to action after missing four months with a ligament injury until an unfortunate sending-off brought a premature end to his first appearance of the season. Bilic utilised his attacking intent by pushing him into a wing-back role and was rewarded as Cresswell delivered the match-winner with a superb cross. A huge upgrade on Arthur Masuaku.
Mark Noble 6/10
Neat and tidy, as you would expect in the centre of the park. Kept things simple and put pressure on Palace when necessary. Failed to influence proceedings going forward, however.
Pedro Obiang 7/10
Adds balance to the midfield, his pace and power allowing him to push on while Noble sits back. A couple of dynamic bursts caused problems to a lethargic Palace midfield.
Dimitri Payet 7/10 (off 78′)
No vine-worthy wondergoals this time around for the enigmatic Frenchman, but Payet was still at the heart of West Ham’s most cohesive attacking moves. A few excellent dead-ball deliveries threatened to double the lead, while it was his ability to occupy defenders that opened up space for Cresswell to whip in the cross for Lanzini.
Manuel Lanzini 7/10 (off 88′)
West Ham are a much more free-flowing side with the elusive Argentine in the line-up. His brilliantly timed run into the box and sublime first-time finish sealed the visitors’ first league win of the season, but his creativity and composure in possession caused problems for Palace all game. Combined well with Zaza.
Simone Zaza 6/10 (off 86′)
A hard-working yet ultimately fruitless display for the still-goalless Italian. Tracked back impressively, hastled and harried opponents yet let himself down in the attacking third. Blessed with a rare chance to shoot in the second half, Zaza dallied and waited until giving away possession. Summed up his night.
Subs
Edimilson Fernandes 5/10 (on 78′)
Brought on to add energy to the midfield with Palace in the ascendancy.
Jonathan Calleri 5/10 (on 86′)
Held up the ball when required late on.
Havard Nordveit n/a (on 88′)
Introduced to shore up the defence late on.
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