Crystal Palace secured a commanding 2-0 victory against West Ham in their Premier League clash, with Jean-Philippe Mateta playing a pivotal role by scoring twice. The match, held on Saturday at London Stadium, saw Palace securing back-to-back wins for the first time this season. West Ham, on the other hand, faced another setback as injuries and a cautious approach hindered their performance. The win places Crystal Palace 12th in the Premier League table, while West Ham grapples with recovery from key player absences.
Jean-Philippe Mateta's continued brilliance was on full display as he scored for the third consecutive Premier League game, propelling Crystal Palace to victory. His first goal came from a precise assist by Eberechi Eze, who set a club record by providing eight Premier League assists for Mateta. Eze's ability to connect with team members is evident, having also assisted Michael Olise eight times in the league. This synergy on the field highlights Palace's growing offensive strength.
The match took a decisive turn when West Ham's Konstantinos Mavropanos was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a high boot on Mateta. This incident further compounded West Ham's woes as they struggled to regain control. Lukasz Fabianski's foul on Mateta led to a penalty, which Mateta converted effortlessly, sealing the win for Crystal Palace. This victory marked Palace's seventh game unbeaten away from home in the top flight, setting a new club record.
West Ham fans had hoped for a repeat of their clinical performance against Fulham, where they scored from all three shots on target. However, injuries plagued Graham Potter's side, with key players Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug, Crysencio Summerville, and Michail Antonio unavailable. These absences were felt acutely as the team's cautious approach failed to yield results in the first half.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner commended his team's performance, describing it as "excellent." He noted that his players controlled the game throughout and prevented West Ham from creating clear scoring opportunities.
"I think it's the same result, twice winning 2-0 [also against Leicester], but I think it's a massive difference in the performance. Today was an excellent performance, I think we controlled the game over the whole time and we didn't give West Ham a clear chance to score." – Oliver Glasner
Glasner also praised Mateta's finishing abilities, emphasizing the importance of team support in creating scoring opportunities.
"He always needs the players around him who can give him the ball," said Glasner afterwards. "But then when he gets it in the right areas, and this is what we're working on day by day with the whole team, then we know that he has an amazing finish." – Oliver Glasner
Despite West Ham's recent back-to-back wins in the Premier League, the loss to Crystal Palace highlighted ongoing challenges. Graham Potter's side has faced criticism for their overly cautious tactics during the opening 45 minutes of play, a strategy that failed to deliver results against a resilient Palace team.
Crystal Palace's impressive away form has seen them win four of their last five away games in the Premier League. The victory against West Ham not only solidified their position above their opponents in the table but also placed them 10 points clear of third-bottom Ipswich.
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