Slim pickings at Selhurst as Crystal Palace and West Ham grind out forgettable stalemate
- By Yann Tear at Selhurst Park
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Premier League
Crystal Palace 0
West Ham United 0
The Hammers eked out another point in their quest for Premier League survival in a game that got the final scoreline it had always threated and thoroughly deserved.
West Ham were understandably a little cautious but only time will tell whether they might regret not going for a win with more abandoned - especially as the Eagles were without the injured Adam Wharton - but for now they have a two-point advantage of Spurs with five games to play.
Palace might have been there for the taking because in many ways they looked only occasionally interested in chasing down a victory. Their pursuit of silverware and glory in the Conference League is understandably occupying minds.
For the most part, the Hammers defended staunchly, with Dinos Mavropanos and Axel Disasi impressive in the middle and Jorgen Strand Larsen made little impact in attack for Palace and was withdrawn on the hour.
The mood for the most part was far from London derbyish. Palace fans were demob happy. Leipzig songs and Holmesdale End's rhythm-free drummer at the ready. Hammers fans were tense and prone to 'Sack the board' chants.
It took 20 minutes for anything to happen and then Palace really should have taken the lead as Jefferson Lerma's well judged cross from the left found an unmarked Brennan Johnson for an off-target header which ought to have been on target, at least.
The former Spurs man looked a bit more on the money when, after being fed by Yeremy Pino's burst through midfield, he bent a shot inches wide of Mads Hermansen's left hand post. Tyrick Mitchell slid a low shot wide in a counter-attack just before the break.
The Hammers won a couple of free-kicks without causing too many palpitations - although Taty Castellanos was on target with an overhead kick he reached after Dean Henderson's had only half-punched away. Henderson and Maxence Lacroix combined to block.
Henderson was tested again when Mavropanos got on the end of an El Hadji Diouf cross with a firm header. The big defender has grabbed some vital goals of late, but not this time.
The Eagles did have ball in the net late in the piece - but ref Darren England correctly ruled out Ismaila Sarr's strike as the ball came to him off the arm of fellow sub Jean-Philippe Mateta.
It was as close as we came to anything resembling drama.
Eagles: (3-4-2-1) Henderson - Richards, Lacroix, Canvot - Munoz, Lerma, Hughes (Kamada 59), Mitchell - Johnson (Devenny 78), Pino (Sarr 59) - Strand Larsen (Mateta 59)
Hammers: (4-4-1-1) Hermansen - Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf - Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, Soucek, Summerville - Pablo (wilson 75) - Castellanos (Kante 84)
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