Crystal Palace moved eight points clear of the relegation zone courtesy of a 3-1 victory over West Ham United at Upton Park this afternoon.
The visitors broke the deadlock in the first half when Aaron Cresswell skewed an attempted clearance into his own net from Glenn Murray's header, and Scott Dann doubled the advantage shortly after the interval.
Murray then made it three with a glancing diving header before receiving his marching orders for a second yellow card.
Enner Valencia's strike with just under 15 minutes remaining gave the Hammers hope of an unlikely comeback, but Palace hung on to pick up the victory.
Read how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
Good morning! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's early Premier League kickoff as West Ham United host Crystal Palace in a London derby at Upton Park. Both sides have struggled for consistency in recent weeks and will be desperate for a return to winning ways this afternoon, so we should be in for an intriguing contest. Let's start with a look at the hosts...
It is fair to say that West Ham have fared a lot better than many expected this season, sitting comfortably in the top half and, until the turn of the year, being right in the mix for a European spot. They have suffered something of a slump in the last couple of months, however, and Allardyce may have preferred to have started poorly but finished the campaign strongly. As it is, their season is in danger of petering out, and question over his future are beginning to be raised once again.
Of course, without such a strong start to the season it is entirely possible that Allardyce would not still be in charge of the club. He began the campaign under pressure before a ball had even been kicked, with plenty of fans calling for his head. The brilliant job he did in guiding his side into the top four for much of the first half of the season made it impossible not to give him credit, but their recent downturn in results has cranked the pressure up once again and it appears increasingly unlikely that he will have his contract renewed at the end of the season.
That could all change should the Hammers make a strong end to the campaign and renew their push for a European berth, but first they must come through a tricky run of fixtures. Today's match is the only one in a spell of seven that sees West Ham face a team currently outside of the top seven, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur providing the opponents in their last four league games and Chelsea and Arsenal awaiting in the next two. This is also the second of four consecutive London derbies, so Allardyce will be happy for his side to get through this run.
Unsurprisingly, with such a torrid run of fixtures, results have taken a hit, and the Hammers have slipped to eighth in the table courtesy of just one win in their nine Premier League outings since Christmas. They have picked up only eight points from a possible 27 in that time, with their solitary win coming over struggling Hull City. They are without a win in five in all competitions, while their last three league outings have ended in a share of the spoils - perhaps not a bad record when you consider who they have played.
The most recent of those would have felt like a defeat, though, and Allardyce will need to pick his players up from the disappointment at White Hart Lane. His side deservedly led 2-0 going into the last 10 minutes against Spurs, but a fortuitous Danny Rose goal sparked a comeback and the North Londoners eventually rescued a point in the 96th minute as Harry Kane tucked away the rebound having seen his penalty saved. There were plenty of positives from the performance for West Ham, with Kouyate and Sakho getting the goals in a very impressive display, but in the end they were forced to settle for just a point.
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They will be glad to be back at Upton Park, however, where their form has been less affected over the past few months. Indeed, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal is their only loss in their last 12 home matches in all competitions, while they are still unbeaten in front of their own fans in 2015. Their last loss before the Arsenal one was back in August and, having lost their opening three home matches in all competitions, they have won seven and drawn four of their next 12, excluding penalties. That includes victories over the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
They have also scored in all but one of their last 12 league matches at Upton Park, with their main threat coming via the aerial route, despite Allardyce being handed the task of changing the team's style of play. He certainly appeared to do that in the opening stages of the season, but his side have still scored 14 headed goals in the current campaign, five more than any other team in the Premier League.
Palace will need to be wary of that, then, as they look to return to winning ways themselves. Pardew got off to a flying start at the club with four wins in a row to open his tenure, but the threat of relegation still looms over the Eagles in a very tight battle at the bottom. A number of teams are still more vulnerable than Palace as things stand, but the five-point gap that currently separates them from the drop zone is by no means an unassailable one. Victory today would stretch that to eight and move them above Everton into 12th for 24 hours at least.
Pardew, of course, returns to one of his old stomping grounds here, and he will sympathise with Allardyce's current plight of being relatively successful yet still not fully accepted by the club's fans. Pardew had that at Newcastle and, to a certain extent, at West Ham despite guiding them to promotion from the Championship and then coming within a whisker of winning the FA Cup, only to be denied by a Steven Gerrard-inspired Liverpool in 2006.
There is no doubt that Pardew is loved at Selhurst Park at the moment, however, and his arrival has galvanised the club. Results, as previously mentioned, have been mixed recently, with just one win in their last five matches in all competitions, but they have still only been beaten twice in the league under Pardew. While it is hard to predict anything in this relegation battle, it would be a surprise if Palace didn't pick up points on a regular enough basis to keep them at arm's length of the bottom three.
Interestingly, for a club with a renowned home support, all of Pardew's defeats as manager so far have come at Selhurst Park. The former Newcastle boss has a 100% record on his travels so far with Palace, playing four and winning four. Keith Millen also went two away games without losing when in caretaker charge, taking the club's unbeaten streak on the road to six matches - a run that stretches back to before Christmas. They have also kept four clean sheets in that time, so will feel confident of getting something out of this game today.
Their most recent performance should also provide them with confidence, even if it did end in defeat. The Eagles were very unfortunate to end up losing 2-1 to Arsenal in another London derby, with Glenn Murray inches away from rescuing a late point for his side. The Gunners led 2-0 at half time courtesy of goals from Cazorla and Giroud, but Murray scored a reply in the 94th minute and then hit the post moments later. It would have been a deserved point for Palace, but in the end they came away with nothing.
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The Eagles could create a small slice of history this afternoon as they look to set a new Premier League club record of five consecutive away games without defeat. It would be some feat for Pardew to achieve so early in his tenure, and he will feel that his side have a real chance given West Ham's recent form. Conversely, they have lost their last two in league and cup and are looking to avoid falling to a third consecutive defeat for the first time since a run of seven between September-November 2013.
Palace have never had more points at this stage of a Premier League season before, with their tally of 27 after 26 matches equalling what they had at this stage of the 1994-95 season. Under Tony Pulis in the second half of the last campaign they went from strength to strength and were pushing for a top-half finish by the end, and Pardew may well be eyeing a similar feat. They are nine points off the top half and avoided relegation is their main priority, but a couple of good results and they will start looking up the table rather than down it.
TEAM NEWS: The teams are in for both sides and the headline news is that West Ham have named an unchanged side from the one that drew with Spurs last weekend. Nene is on the bench as he waits for his debut, with Sakho and Valencia once again leading the line. Palace, meanwhile, make four changes, including a first start for skipper Mile Jedinak under Pardew. Kelly, Bolasie and Murray also come into the side, but McArthur is only deemed fit enough for the bench. Full teams for both sides coming up...
WEST HAM STARTING XI: Adrian; Jenkinson, Reid, Tomkins, Cresswell; Song, Noble, Kouyate, Downing; Sakho, Valencia
WEST HAM SUBS: Jaaskelainen, Nolan, Jarvis, Nene, O'Brien, Collins, Demel
CRYSTAL PALACE STARTING XI: Speroni; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Kelly; Jedinak, Mutch; Bolasie, Zaha, Puncheon; Murray
CRYSTAL PALACE SUBS: Hennessey, Hangeland, Gayle, McArthur, Ameobi, Ledley, Souare
What can we make of those two sides, then? Well, despite the disappointing nature of the draw against Spurs, it isn't a big surprise to see Allardyce name an unchanged side. The Hammers performed very well in North London and deserved a win from the match, with Kouyate, Song and Noble particularly impressive in midfield. That trio play again, with Downing offering support to the front two from a more advanced position. Noble was taken off against Spurs to avoid a red card, while Song conceded the late penalty, so both will be keen to respond despite having put in very good displays before that.
Sakho and Valencia were both excellent against Spurs too, with the duo working well to harry and harass the Tottenham defenders throughout. Sakho got his name on the scoresheet, but the goals have dried up a little for the pair recently. Valencia, for example, has not scored in the league since November 1 and, while he is doing an important job for the team, he will want to end that drought in front of goal sooner rather than later.
At the back, uncertainty continues to reign over the future of Winston Reid, who is expected to leave the club when his contract runs out at the end of the season. He would be a big loss for the Hammers, as his display against Spurs showed, and you feel that they would need to have a strong end to the season if they are to convince him to stay. Cresswell was another who impressed against Spurs and he will be looking to continue his own good debut season alongside Jenkinson and Tomkins today.
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Adrian was a little unfortunate in the Tottenham game as his late penalty save rebounded straight back to Kane, who duly slotted it home for the dramatic equaliser. The keeper could have done better with Rose's equaliser, although the defender's mis-hit shot caused Adrian to misjudge it and in the end he was not set to avoid it bouncing into the net. Even so, he had a decent game against Spurs and has been an important member of West Ham's impressive season so far.
Adrian's task this afternoon may well be helped by Crystal Palace's striker shortage, with Campbell, Chamakh and Sanogo all sidelined with hamstring injuries. That paves the way for Murray to come in have scored against Arsenal last Saturday and hit the post shortly afterwards. He was instrumental in helping Palace to win promotion but has struggled to make it in the Premier League so far, with injuries and loan spells away from the club not helping his cause. He has his chance today, though, and as an instinctive goalscorer, West Ham will need to keep his chances to a minimum.
Murray will get support from Zaha, Puncheon and Bolasie, the latter of whom was very bright off the bench against Arsenal. Bolasie is one of those players who has all the skills and trickery in the world, but struggles with the final ball. If he can add that to his game alongside some improved decision-making then he would be a very dangerous player. As it is, he has the ability to be a match-winner, but doesn't produce it often enough.
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Palace are also boosted by the return of skipper Mile Jedinak to the starting lineup, with the Australia international returning to fitness after a spell on the sidelines. It is his first start for Pardew, who will be delighted to have such an influential figure back available. Jedinak was in fine form before he departed to the Asian Cup and will look to regain that as quickly as possible at the heart of the Palace midfield. Ledley and McArthur have to settle for a place on the bench, however, where they are joined by Souare, who is replaced by Kelly in the side today.
PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Upton Park, which means that it is time for a prediction! This is a tough one to call, with neither side in great form but West Ham having a good recent home record and Palace on a roll away from home. You have to take into account West Ham's recent fixtures, though, and this is the kindest league match they have had for a while, on paper at least. I'm going for a 2-1 home win this afternoon.
That's what I think, but how about the Sports Mole sofa? Listen to what they had to say about this match in our video preview below:
Palace have won just two of their 15 visits to Upton Park in all competitions, but one of those did come in the corresponding fixture last season. Pulis's Palace came to town in April and left with all three points courtesy of a Mile Jedinak penalty that handed them a 1-0 victory. Their overall record against West Ham in recent times is a good one too, with four wins from the last seven meetings.
It was a different story in the reverse fixture this season, however, with West Ham running out 3-1 winners at Selhurst Park courtesy of goals from Zarate, Downing and Cole. The Hammers are now looking to complete their first league double over Palace since the 1972-73 season, while they are also on the verge of another milestone having picked up 199 points in Premier League London derbies over the years.
We perhaps shouldn't expect a flurry of goals in the first half today. Palace have scored just nine time in the opening 45 minutes of Premier League matches this season - the joint lowest tally in the league - while Southampton are the only team to have conceded fewer than the six the Eagles have let in in the first half of games.
KICKOFF: West Ham get us underway here in East London as they look to get their season back on track, while Palace look to edge themselves further clear of the bottom three.
Bolasie wins an early corner for his side and the ball is floated out to Mutch, who is unmarked on the edge of the area. He has time but chooses to head the ball towards goal rather than try a volley, and his effort is blocked. It would have had to be some header to score from there!
Already this match looks to have settled into a rhythm of West Ham seeing more of the ball but Palace looking to use the pace of Bolasie and Zaha on the break. The hosts will need to be wary of that.
The Hammers win a free kick right in the corner and Noble swings a dangerous delivery towards the near post that Murray does well to nod over his own crossbar. Noble has another chance to put the ball in the box from the resulting corner, but Speroni comes and claims it well.
This time Palace win a corner following an enterprising run forwards from Kelly down the left. The delivery is swung deep towards the back post and Dann rises to meet it, but he can only loop a header onto the roof of the net.
Again Palace make ground down the left, with an error from Reid handing the visitors a decent attacking platform. Bolasie picks the ball up and flicks it into the path of Murray, but the striker's cross is comfortably dealt with.
CLOSE! The hosts are the first to come close and it is almost a very lucky from Cresswell. Puncheon's loose pass gifted the ball to the left-back in a dangerous position and, when trying to cross the ball in, he mis-hits his effort and it swerves narrowly over the top. It would have been some strike, but I'm sure it was intended as a cross.
West Ham are starting to build a bit of pressure now and Noble wins a free kick in a very dangerous position following a foul from Puncheon. A number of claret and blue shirts are standing over this one from around 20 yards out...
OFF THE BAR! West Ham are inches away from breaking the deadlock in style! It is Noble who takes on the duties, curling his free kick over the wall only to see it crash off the crossbar. It was a superb effort, but just needed to be an inch or so lower,
The hosts have enjoyed 64% possession so far, with Palace content to sit back and look to hit West Ham on the break. Chances have been hard to come by for both sides, with both notable efforts so far coming from range.
Still West Ham continue to patiently probe for a way through, but they haven't been able to get Sakho, Valencia and Downing into the game enough so far. The front two have had trouble making the ball stick up top so far, with Palace quick to nip in and win the ball back.
It is all a bit scrappy at the moment, which was perhaps to be expected with these two teams. Palace have not come up with anything other than a couple of corners in an attacking sense so far, but Bolasie and Zaha will always be a threat on the break.
Murray looks like he will have a fairly thankless task today. He has been isolated on a few occasions already, with Palace defending in numbers and then clearing the ball long to get rid of any danger. Murray may find himself chasing a lot of aimless long balls down the channels this afternoon.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match goes to Murray for a high challenge on Kouyate right on the halfway line. Mike Dean allowed play to continue before coming back and showing the card, which was good refereeing.
CHANCE! The clearest chance of the match falls the way of Palace as they break quickly, with Puncheon leading the charge. He slips a pass down the channel for Murray, who looks to have a clear shot on goal until Reid comes across and just nudges him off balance. Murray still manages to get a shot away, but he shanks it wide of the near post.
The hosts are still enjoying the lion's share of possession here, but there is no way through this Palace defence. The visitors are very organised at the moment and keeping things tight in the middle of the park.
SHOT! This time it is West Ham who break quickly as Noble robs Bolasie of possession before releasing Sakho. The striker takes a touch before letting fly from range, but his effort takes a deflection and loops over the top.
Good play from Downing on the right as he beats his man twice on the wing before hanging a cross towards the back post. Valencia rises highest at the back post but can't get any power behind his downward header as it goes wide of the near post.
CHANCE! Another clear opening for Palace, and again it falls for Murray. The striker is played in down the left channel by Puncheon this time and is unmarked as he gets his shot away, but the angle is against him and Adrian is able to make the save at his near post.
PALACE SUB: The visitors are forced into an early change here as Mutch is replaced by James McArthur. Mutch has had plenty of injuries already this season and looks to have picked up another muscle problem here.
Mike Dean calls Mile Jedinak over to chat to both the Palace skipper and Murray, who had just fouled Kouyate. The striker has already been booked and now appears to have been given his final warning by the referee.
CHANCE! Almost a chance out of nothing for Palace! West Ham initially look to have dealt with a corner, but a poor touch from Valencia guides the ball right back in to the danger area. Delaney finds himself presented with a golden chance, but Cresswell makes a vital challenge to block the shot from a tight angle.
CHANCE! Murray is causing problems whenever he gets down the channel at the moment. Puncheon feeds the ball into the striker's feet and he turns Tomkins well before drilling a low shot towards goal. Once again, though, Adrian has his angles right and makes the save.
A little flash point between Reid and Murray as the Palace striker wins a throw-in deep inside the West Ham half, a decision Reid doesn't agree with. He shoves Murray out of frustration, sending the striker to ground, but very little is made of it.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Crystal Palace (Aaron Cresswell og)
Crystal Palace have the lead, and it is a shocker from Cresswell! Murray did really well to rises highest in the area and get his head to a corner, but his effort lacks an power and looks to be comfortable for the Hammers to deal with. However, Cresswell is stood right in front of Adrian and completely mis-hits his attempted clearance, only succeeding in sending it spinning behind him and into his own net.
Palace had been building a bit of pressure before that goal and it is hard to argue against them deserving it, despite the fortuitous nature of it. The visitors have had the best chances today, with West Ham struggling to create anywhere near as much at the other end.
There will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: West Ham United 0-1 Crystal Palace
The first half comes to an end at Upton Park and it is Crystal Palace who will go into the break happiest having scored the only goal of the opening 45 minutes. It is a deserved lead for the visitors, who have created all of the best chances in the match and defended stubbornly at the other end despite West Ham seeing more of the ball. The hosts need to improve in the second half if they are to end their poor run of form.
The goal came in fortuitous fashion for Palace, with Aaron Cresswell skewing the ball into the back of his own net. Murray rose highest in the penalty area to win a corner, but his knockdown was soft and appeared to be heading straight into the arms of Adrian. Cresswell was in front of his keeper, however, and got his attempted clearance all wrong as he mis-kicked it into the back of his own net. Murray will claim the goal as it was heading on target, but for me it was an own goal.
Murray has been at the heart of Palace's best moments throughout, running the channels really well and earning a few good chances. Puncheon has been the provider for most of them, slipping passes in for his striker, who has done well to find space to shoot. Adrian has denied Murray on a couple of occasions with the angle against the Palace man, while Reid also put in an important late challenge to deny Murray with Palace's first opening.
West Ham are yet to have a shot on target, but they did come within the width of the woodwork to breaking the deadlock after quarter of an hour. Noble won a free kick 20 yards from goal and took it himself, curling a fine effort over the wall and against the crossbar. Speroni was well beaten but saved by the woodwork as Noble was denied a spectacular goal.
Cresswell also came close to breaking the deadlock early on with a mis-hit cross that almost swerved into the top corner. Again, Speroni looked beaten as he tried to readjust himself, but fortunately for the keeper the ball flew narrowly over the top and clipped the roof of the net on the way behind.
KICKOFF: Palace get us back underway for the second half at Upton Park as they look to see out what would be a very good victory for them.
An early worry for West Ham as a powerful Bolasie effort smashes into the head of Reid, who crumples in a heap as a result. Head injuries are a big concern for clubs nowadays, but Reid should be fine to continue here.
I wouldn't expect Palace's gameplan to change much in the second half, and there is no need for it to. They have been the more threatening of the two teams so far while also keeping things tight at the back. At the moment it is a very good away performance.
GOAL! West Ham 0-2 Crystal Palace (Scott Dann)
Palace double their lead here at Upton Park! West Ham have scored plenty of headed goal this season, but they are on the wrong end of one here as a corner is swung in deep towards the back post. Dann is waiting there and rises above Reid to plant a firm header past Adrian and put his side in complete control here.
YELLOW CARD! Ward goes into the book for a tug on Valencia after the West Ham man had scooted around him and was about to go into the box. Not a bad foul to give away from the Palace defender.
The resulting free kick from a dangerous crossing position comes to nothing as Noble curls his effort high and wide of the far post.
West Ham are playing with a lot more urgency since that second goal. Something needs to change for them right now as Palace are on top and the hosts are showing no signs of getting themselves back into the match.
CLOSE! Palace are close to a third goal as Jedinak lines up a free kick and curls a low, powerful effort a couple of yards past the post from 25 yards. The skipper went towards the keeper's side, but it was always curling away from goal.
YELLOW CARD! Tomkins is the latest name in the book for a late challenge on Bolasie right in front of the referee. No complaints with that one.
WEST HAM SUB: It's debut time for Nene as he comes on in place of Song, who has had a bit of a shocker this afternoon.
GOAL! West Ham 0-3 Crystal Palace (Glenn Murray)
Incredible scenes here at Upton Park as Palace go 3-0 up against West Ham! It is Murray who adds the third, getting a yard on Tomkins to glance a diving header into the corner from Puncheon's good low delivery from a free kick. All three of Palace's goals have come from dead-ball situations here.
YELLOW CARD! The latest card of the match goes to Valencia, but it is quite a harsh one as he looked to make contact with the ball when sliding in on Puncheon.
West Ham have a little over 20 minutes to salvage some pride from this match at the very least. A comeback looks to be a huge ask now, but Allardyce will at least want to see a reaction from his side.
OFF THE POST! Allardyce almost gets that response through Nene, who is inches away from getting a debut goal. It is good play down the right as Downing slides the ball through for Jenkinson, who pulls it back to the Brazilian on the edge of the box. He opens up his body and curls a fine effort towards the top corner, but his strike hits the outside of the post.
RED CARD! Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace)
A lifeline for West Ham, perhaps? Palace are reduced to 10 men as Murray, who was fortunate not to get his marching orders earlier in the match, is shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Reid. There was no malice in the foul but, in truth, he didn't need to make the tackle. He doesn't have any complaints with the decision and now Palace must play the remaining 20 minutes with 10 men.
Palace look to hit the hosts on the break again as Zaha leads the charge forward, but with Puncheon having bust a gut to get up in support Zaha tries to go alone and loses the ball.
PALACE SUB: That is Zaha's last action as he makes way to be replaced by Shola Ameobi, who was about to be brought on for Murray before the striker was sent off.
That red card doesn't seem to have changed the way Palace are playing much. They still have the threat of Bolasie on the break and, while they are defending in numbers, that is as much to do with their three-goal lead as it is their numerical disadvantage.
Really good play from Sakho inside the box as he somehow wriggles past two challenges to work a yard of space. Just as he is about to pull the trigger, though, McArthur comes across and makes an important block.
GOAL! West Ham 1-3 Crystal Palace (Enner Valencia)
The hosts pull a goal back as Valencia smashes home his first league goal at Upton Park. The attack came down the right flank and it is Downing who gets the assist, rolling a short square pass to Valencia on the edge of the box. The Ecuadorian gets the ball out of his feet before lashing an effort into the far corner. Speroni got a hand on it, but the power was too much for the keeper. Game on in the final 15 minutes!
West Ham are applying the pressure now, and another goal in the next five minutes or so would make things very interesting indeed. Palace are defending deeper and deeper now, which is inviting the pressure on them from the hosts.
CHANCE! Decent chance for the hosts to pull another back as Nene and Jenkinson link up down the right. The latter fizzes a vicious ball into the box that Sakho manages to get his head to, but he can't keep the effort down. It was a tough one for the striker to control with so much pace on the cross.
CHANCE! Big chance for West Ham to grab a second! Noble threads a pass inside Bolasie down the right channel, setting Jenkinson through on goal. However, Speroni is out quickly and denies the full-back from point-blank range.
CLOSE! The resulting corner is worked to Downing inside the box, but the winger's powerful effort towards the near post ripples the side-netting.
PALACE SUB: Another change for the visitors as Bolasie departs to be replaced by Joe Ledley.
YELLOW CARD! Delaney gets a cheap and needless booking for kicking the ball away in order to waste a bit more time.
Palace have weathered the storm since West Ham's goal, and that could prove crucial. Time is running out for the hosts to get two goals in reply now.
SAVE! Oh my word, what a save this is from Speroni! Valencia unleashes a magnificent effort from range that is dipping and swerving all over the place. It looks destined for the top corner, but Speroni makes an quite brilliant stop, leaping to his left and flicking it past the post with his fingertips.
Jedinak has got away with one here. The Palace skipper threw an elbow out at Sakho inside the box after clearing the ball and clearly caught the West Ham striker. It was a needless act and one only designed to hurt Sakho. That should have been a red and could well be the subject of retrospective action.
Another hint of a chance for the Hammers as Sakho rises highest in the area to nod one towards goal, but it lacks power and is easy for Speroni. Surely there is not enough time for West Ham to rescue this one now?
The hosts will have FIVE minutes of added time to pull off an unlikely comeback here.
Palace look to have held out here. They have been hanging on since the red card and have rode their luck at times with West Ham hitting the woodwork twice, but they will feel that they are worthy of all three points today. They have put in a very good performance.
SAVE! nene looks for a late consolation, curling a low effort towards the bottom corner that Speroni turns around the post.
FULL TIME: West Ham United 1-3 Crystal Palace
Palace hold out for a huge victory, keeping up their 100% away record under Padrew. It is the first time that Palace have won five away games on the bounce in their history and lifts them eight points clear of the relegation zone, above Everton into 12th place. The Hammers, meanwhile, now have just one win in 10 Premier League games as they remain in eighth and in danger of slipping further down the table this weekend.
Palace broke the deadlock through an Aaron Cresswell own goal as the defender sliced an attempted clearance past his own keeper from Glenn Murray's header, giving his side the lead going into the interval. Scott Dann then nodded the visitors further ahead with a towering header at the back post six minutes into the second half, while Murray made it three by glancing a header of his own in shortly after the hour mark. Murray capped off an eventful game with a second yellow card seven minutes later, but Valencia's strike with 15 minutes remaining was not enough to spark a comeback.
That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for an eventful London derby as Crystal Palace continue their fine away form with a 3-1 victory over West Ham at Upton Park. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. Our coverage of all the 3pm Premier League kickoffs is already underway, so check them out as well. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
