CONOR GALLAGHER proved there is plenty of life in Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace with a second-half double to earn a shock draw at West Ham.
On-loan Chelsea midfielder Gallagher twice levelled the scores as Vieira’s side finally scored their first goals of the season to deny David Moyes’ men a third straight win.
It was proof that the new Palace boss is starting to get a tune out of his players and a sharp reality check for the Hammers who had thought they would cruise to victory.
Fresh from the demolition of Leicester, there was little surprise when Moyes went with the same side as Monday night and the fans were full of expectation they would run riot.
But though Palace came into the game very much unfancied, they had no intention of being rolled over and in the opening exchanges they actually posed the better threat.
West Ham found themselves on the back foot as Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke attempted to impose themselves as Palace sought to score their first goal of the season.
But as with past seasons, there seems to be something lacking on the team when it comes to actually creating clear chances in the final third and they were unable to do so again in the opening ten minutes.
That allowed the Hammers to warm into the game, and once they found their stride there appeared a genuine gulf in quality between the two sides.
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Yet unlike against Leicester on Monday night, this time their attacking play was a little more frantic – almost as if the players were trying to force things because of the expectations on them.
Michail Antonio tried to repeat the turn and shot trick which led to his goal against the Foxes, but Palace defender Joachim Andersen was wise to the danger and blocked on the penalty spot.
Then Craig Dawson was denied by another last ditch block, and on 23 minutes more desperate defending from Palace again denied the Hammers.
This time it was Joel Ward just about making the ground to hack the ball off the line as it looped towards goal after Andersen and keeper Vicente Guaita got themselves in a mess dealing with a cross.
When Aaron Cresswell’s low cross from the left evaded three Hammers shirts in the middle, the home side would have been forgiven for thinking the opener would never come.
But the lead did arrive on 39 minutes and when it came it was goal of real quality.
Said Benrahma slipped a pass to release Antonio bursting through in the inside left channel, and the striker exchanged four passes with Pablo Fornals before the Spanish midfielder slotted home.
It was no more than the Hammers deserved, and after the break they set about increasing their advantage by pouring forward at every opportunity.
Benrahma was denied his third of the season by a smart low stop from Guaita before the keeper clutched hold of the ball from Tomas Soucek’s looping header.
Yet they were over-extending themselves at times loading too many in attack, and Palace suddenly seized the initiative simply be exploiting the counter-attack.
Zaha was the first to get in behind the exposed Hammers back line only to slice high and wide, before Benteke took too long as he raced clear cutting in from the left, allowing Dawson to snuff out the threat.
The warning signs were there for the home side but they didn’t take them and on 58 minutes Palace finally scored their first goal of the season to equalise.
Zaha’s cross from the left was nodded down by Benteke and Gallagher took a touch before turning the ball home from a narrow angle, thanks in part by a week attempt to save from Lukasz Fabianski.
What had been something of a stroll suddenly became anything but and Palace pushed on themselves, sniffing the chance of a surprise away win.
But they shot themselves in the foot on 68 minutes when Andersen got in a flap dealing with Cresswell’s hopeful punt upfield and within a flash Antonio was in to lash home and restore West Ham’s lead.
Moyes quickly called his defenders across to him amid the celebrations, as if to stress the need to keep it tight – but those pleas fell on deaf ears just two minutes later as Palace got back on level terms.
While there was something scruffy about Gallagher’s first goal, his second showed his undoubted quality as he collected Zaha’s cross just outside the six-yard box, bamboozled Dawson with a sharp turn and then shot low into the net.
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It was just reward for the visitors for the way they had stuck at their task under intense pressure, and though West Ham toiled they struggled to find an opening for a third goal.
The closest they came was four minutes from time when sub Andriy Yarmolenko cut inside onto his dangerous left foot, only to fire high and wide.
And it was Palace who should have snatched the win in stoppage time, only for Marc Guehi to send his unmarked header over the bar from six yards.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
