Between them, Manuel Pellegrini and Roy Hodgson have a combined age of 138 and have taken charge of more than 30 clubs including Real Madrid and Inter. But the Premier League’s two oldest managers would be the first to admit that this meeting of London rivals will not go down as a classic in anyone’s book, even if it ended on a moment of high drama. In the old days, Jordan Ayew’s late goal would have been disallowed and both teams would have gone home with a share of the points. But in the era of VAR there can be no such grey areas and replays showed that Martin Kelly was played onside by Issa Diop’s toe before his header across goal, with Felipe Anderson’s knee allowing Ayew the easiest of tap-ins.
It was a bitter pill for West Ham to swallow after they had taken the lead through Sébastien Haller’s fourth goal of the season and were heading for the heady heights of third, only for a penalty from Patrick van Aanholt after Declan Rice’s rush of blood to the head and Ayew’s late intervention to spoil their party.
Both these teams came into this game in significantly ruder health than this time last year, with West Ham having lost only one of their last 10 matches in the Premier League and Palace boasting 25 points from their last 13. The absence of Luka Milivojevic due to suspension meant Hodgson handed a full league debut to James McCarthy alongside his old Hamilton and Wigan teammate James McArthur in midfield, while Roberto continued in goal for West Ham following the hip injury suffered by Lukasz Fabianski in last week’s draw at Bournemouth.
Aside from the shellacking against Manchester City on the opening weekend, results for Pellegrini’s side here have been encouraging so far this campaign and the London Stadium is finally starting to feel a bit more like home. But with Palace packing the middle of the pitch and ready to spring on the counterattack in the tried-and-tested method of their manager, West Ham’s playmakers struggled to find space in the opening stages.
It was the visitors who looked more dangerous, with Ayew and Wilfried Zaha both causing problems with their skill and trickery albeit with little end product. West Ham finally came alive on the half-hour mark, when Mark Noble’s ball presented Andriy Yarmalenko with the opportunity to lay the ball on a plate for Haller, only for Vicente Guaita to pull off the most unlikely of point-blank saves. Felipe Anderson also had a sniff of goal, while at the other end Ryan Fredericks sprang to his side’s rescue to clear Jeffrey Schlupp’s tame effort off the line. Guaita was called upon once more to deny Haller after a superb cross from Anderson, the Spaniard relieved to see the ball bounce away to safety after striking him in the chest. McCarthy tried his luck from distance for Palace but found Roberto equal to his shot before Manuel Lanzini dragged an effort just wide of the post just before the break.
Haller – a £45m club record signing from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer – does not look like the type of striker to dwell on missed chances and his unselfish header back across the area almost created the opening goal for Angelo Ogbonna five minutes into the second half, only for the defender to volley over from close range. There was no such wastefulness from the Frenchman however when he stabbed home Fredericks’ cross from six yards out following a flowing passing move that featured with a lovely one-two between Mark Noble and Anderson.
Given Palace’s lack of attacking options, it seemed that might be enough to claim the points. But the visitors’ prayers were answered within minutes as Rice inexplicably played the ball with his arm as Cheikhou Kouyaté attempted to cross. Van Aanholt made no mistake from the spot.
There was even better to come for Ayew as Palace snatched the victory to move up to the uncharted waters of fourth in the table.