Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a second-half brace as Crystal Palace recorded a 2-0 victory over 10-man West Ham United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
Palace made the breakthrough in the 48th minute of the contest, with Mateta smashing one into the bottom corner following an excellent pass from Eberechi Eze.
West Ham had Konstantinos Mavropanos sent off in the 80th minute for a rash challenge on Mateta, with the centre-back handed a second yellow card, and the Eagles forward then struck a second from the penalty spot late on after Eddie Nketiah had been brought to the ground by the home side's goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.
The victory has moved Palace into 11th spot in the Premier League table, now boasting 27 points from their opening 22 matches, while West Ham stay 14th, boasting 26 points from their 22 games this term.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
© Imago
West Ham are currently without the services of Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville due to injury, and the club's need for a new forward was on full display in this contest.
The Hammers are working to bring in a striker, and Potter will be desperate to get a new attacker through the door as soon as possible, with Danny Ings currently his only senior option in that area of the field.
Ings was introduced as part of a triple change before the hour, but he struggled to make his mark, and West Ham finished the match without managing to register a single shot on target.
Palace, on the other hand, have a striker in form, with Mateta now on 11 goals for the season in all competitions, while his brace at the London Stadium was his eighth in the Premier League.
Mateta now has four in his last three outings in England's top flight, meanwhile, and the fact that the Eagles had a genuine goalscorer at the tip of their attack and West Ham did not ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides.
WEST HAM VS. PALACE HIGHLIGHTS
48th min: West Ham 0-1 Palace (Jean-Philippe Mateta)
Palace make the breakthrough in the early stages of the second period in the capital, as Mateta races onto a pass from Eze before smashing the ball into the bottom corner - terrific finish from the centre-forward.
80th min: Konstantinos Mavropanos (West Ham) red card
West Ham are reduced to 10 men in the 80th minute of the contest, as Mavropanos picks up a second yellow card for a foul on Mateta; the home side's task has just become even more difficult late on here.
89th min: West Ham 0-2 Palace (Jean-Philippe Mateta, penalty)
Mateta scores his second of the match, with the striker netting from the penalty spot after Nketiah is fouled by Fabianski; this has been a hugely disappointing afternoon for the home side.
MAN OF THE MATCH - EBERECHI EZE
© Imago
Mateta, for obvious reasons, is worth a mention here, but Eze was sensational during his 78 minutes on the field.
The playmaker provided his fifth Premier League assist of the season on Saturday, with the England international setting up Mateta to score in the first half, and it was a brilliant all-round performance from the 26-year-old.
Palace will do incredibly well to keep hold of the Englishman before the end of next summer's transfer window, as he showed his class in the capital, also making two tackles and finishing with a pass success rate of 97%.
WEST HAM VS. PALACE MATCH STATS
Possession: West Ham 53%-47% Palace
Shots: West Ham 7-11 Palace
Shots on target: West Ham 0-7 Palace
Corners: West Ham 2-4 Palace
Fouls: West Ham 13-10 Palace
BEST STAT
8 - Eberechi Eze has now provided eight Premier League assists for Jean-Philippe Mateta, with no Crystal Palace player assisting a teammate more in the competition's history (Michael Olise to Eze also 8). Wavelength. #WHUCRY
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 18, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Palace will be bidding to make it four straight wins in all competitions when they continue their Premier League campaign with a home fixture against Brentford next Sunday.
West Ham, meanwhile, will aim to recover from the disappointing home defeat when they head to Aston Villa in the league next Sunday, and the Hammers will be looking for revenge, having suffered a 2-1 defeat to Unai Emery's side in the FA Cup on January 10.
Matt Law
