Daily WHUFC News - 16th October 2016

Lanzini goal secures crucial victory
WHUFC.com

Manuel Lanzini was the hero for West Ham as he scored the crucial winner to help the Hammers record their first Premier League win since August with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. The Hammers certainly enjoy playing at Selhurst Park and following the 3-1 victory in south London last season, they came away with another impressive victory to help them move out of the bottom three. Slaven Bilic said his players had worked even harder over the international break to turn their season around and the results paid off as they celebrated a hard fought win. Bilic changed the system around as he reverted to three at the back and the return of Aaron Cresswell played a major part in the Hammers securing all three points. Cresswell has been forced to miss the start of the season with a knee ligament injury but he looked as if he had never been away with a crucial part in the winning goal as his cross picked out Lanzini and he produced a clinical finish to strike the ball into the corner of the net.ena You could sense the luck was finally turning West Ham's way after Christian Benteke missed a penalty for the home side on the stroke of half-time and that was to prove costly.
The only downside for the Hammers and Cresswell was his red card late in the game after he was harshly sent off for receiving two yellow cards within the space of 51 seconds. The first was given for a dive in the area, although there appeared to be contact from Yohan Cabaye's challenge. The second was just as questionable following a tussle with Wilfried Zaha but Cresswell was given his marching orders. Thankfully, the decision did not affect the outcome and Bilic and his players were left celebrating a memorable victory. They will now be hoping this can the turning point as they look to move towards the top half of the table.

Cresswell almost made a dream return to action when he could have opened the scoring after just four minutes. Pedro Obiang played the ball through to the Hammers full-back who raced towards the Palace goal and fired a powerful shot into the side netting. Cresswell was involved in the heart of the action two minutes later as he played the ball into Simone Zaza who struck a low shot which was comfortably saved by Palace keeper Steve Mandanda. Zaza looked keen to open his account for the Hammers and came close again on nine minutes when he found himself unmarked inside the area and he fired a shot inches past the post.
The away side continued to create the best openings and had another golden chance on 14 minutes when Dimitri Payet's corner picked out Cheikhou Kouyate who rose above the Palace defence and headed the ball just wide of the post.

The Hammers were rewarded for their early dominance when they opened the scoring on 19 minutes and it was a superb move which led to the opening goal.
Payet and Cresswell were involved in a neat interchange which resulted in the Hammers full-back bursting clear down the left hand side Cresswell played in the perfect cross for Lanzini who produced a clinical finish and struck the ball with his first touch past Mandanda into the corner of the net. The Hammers were handed a major lifeline on the stroke of half-time after Ogbonna brought down Benteke inside the box. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, but the Palace striker fired his effort wide of the post. Benteke was then denied by the woodwork just a few seconds later as he rose the highest to meet a cross from Joel Ward but his close-range header struck the post.

The Hammers went in search of the second goal and came close to extending their lead on 56 minutes. Lanzini burst clear into the box and the ball fell to Payet who saw his shot superbly kept out by Mandana. Antonio has already scored five goals this season and he was desperately unlucky not to make it six on 75 minutes when he saw his close-range header cleared off the line by Jason Puncheon. The Hammers were reduced to ten-men sixty seconds later when Cresswell was harshly sent off for a challenge on Zaza. Replays showed there was not much connection but Bilic was forced to re-shuffle his pack for the closing stages of the game. Benteke came close with another header on 81 minutes when his header flew just past the post. Adrian then came to the Hammers rescue in injury time when he made a superb save to deny a close-range header from Connor Wickham. The Hammers held on for all three points and will now be hoping to maintain their winning feeling when they host Sunderland at London Stadium next weekend.

Crystal Palace: Mandanda; Ward, Tomkins, Delaney, Kelly (Fryers 46); Townsend, Ledley (Cabaye 46), McArthur (Wickham 70), Puncheon, Zaha; Benteke
Subs not used: Hennessey, Campbell, Lee, Sako
Bookings: Benteke

West Ham: Adrian; Reid, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Antonio, Cresswell, Obiang, Noble, Lanzini (Nordtveit 88), Payet (Fernandes 79); Zaza (Calleri 86)
Subs not used: Spiegel, Feghouli, Collins, Fletcher
Bookings: Noble, Ogbonna, Cresswell
Red Card: Cresswell

Referee: Martin Atkinson

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Bilic - We showed character and spirit
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic had nothing but praise for his players after they recorded a crucial 1-0 win over Crystal Palace and says they showed the character and spirit to help them move out of the bottom three. Manuel Lanzini scored the only goal of the game to help the Hammers record their first victory since August but it could prove to be a major turning point in the Club's season. Bilic made a big decision to change the system and revert to three at the back and the move paid off as the Hammers produced another impressive display at Selhurst Park. The Hammers manager had special praise for Winston Reid and Aaron Cresswell and feels both players played a major role in the victory. Bilic said: "We showed everything, character, spirit, we deserved to win. The goal we scored was an amazing move from many players. "We need more than one game, more than one win. We showed how good a team we are and how good a unit we are. "Straight after the Middlesbrough game we started to prepare for Palace and find a system which suits us. I really like this system but it doesn't work without players such as Cresswell or Masuaku. "Now that Aaron was back we made a little gamble because we didn't expect him to be totally match fit, but he had a great game.
"I was a little worried about Winston because he had a long journey back but I spoke to him and he said he was fit. He was magnificent and the whole team was.
"The goal helped us and there is no way of gaining better confidence than scoring a goal. It is hard to play against Palace because they have pace but we coped really well and we could have scored a second as well. "It is only one game but we need more than one win. It is not about the system which won the game. It is more about the approach we had and how we close them down and didn't give them the time on the ball. "We showed how as a team we need to be."

The only downside for Bilic was the harsh dismissal of Aaron Cresswell late in the game and the Hammers manager felt he should never have been sent off.
Bilic added" "For me it was a penalty on Cresswell and then the second yellow card is very harsh - never a second yellow card, never. "It was a good performance and a deserved result in the end."

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Adrian - We defended so well
WHUFC.com

Adrian delighted by first away win of the Premier League season at Crystal Palace
Goalkeeper and three centre-halves were in superb form at Selhurst Park
West Ham United climb out of bottom three and up to 15th with victory

Adrian was all smiles after helping West Ham United score a morale-boosting 1-0 Premier League win at Crystal Palace. The Hammers dominated the first half and were rewarded by Manuel Lanzini's second goal of the season, before Christian Benteke missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time. West Ham's task was made even harder when Aaron Cresswell was controversially sent-off for two bookable offences in the space of 60 seconds, but thanks to a resilient defensive display and a spectacular late save from the Spaniard, the Claret and Blue Army went home from a sodden Selhurst Park wet but happy. "I think we fought until the end with one player less, which was very difficult because they pushed and their fans pushed a lot," he began. "We defended so well until the last minute and finally we got the win and it's a massive three points for us. "It would have probably changed the game if he'd scored but he missed the penalty and we continued fighting in the second half and I think we deserved the win."
Adrian had kept just one clean sheet this season – in a 1-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium back in August – and the Spaniard was delighted to keep his goal intact in south London. The No13 was aided by a determined display by his outfield colleagues, who lined up in a new but very effective 3-5-1-1 formation. With Winston Reid, Cheikhou Kouyate and Angelo Ogbonna rock solid – aside from the Italian's trip on Benteke to concede the spot-kick – West Ham were a different proposition from recent matches. "It's very important to keep a clean sheet because if you score one goal, like we did today, you win three points," he continued. "Today is a change of our mind. We need to start winning games and getting points because we want to climb the table. "This system worked for us. Every game is different and today we went with this one and luckily for us, it worked!"

Finally, Adrian was delighted to deny Belgian Benteke, who not only missed a penalty but also saw a header hit the outside of the Spaniard's post seconds before half-time. "He's a great striker and he missed a penalty and had some chances, but we kept fighting. At the end of the day, I'm so happy for my team keeping a clean sheet and getting three points."

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Wheeler targets cup progress
WHUFC.com

West Ham United Ladies defender Hannah Wheeler hopes the club can make a winning start to their new era.

The Ladies were brought into under the Hammers' wing this week, marking the club's 25th anniversary by becoming fully-fledged members of the West Ham family.

It has been a challenging start to the season for the Ladies, who have won just two of the ten matches they have played in all competitions, but Wheeler and her teammates hope the announcement will be followed by a morale-boosting victory over Crystal Palace in the London FA Capital Cup on Sunday afternoon.

"The changes can only be for the better," said the 18-year-old, who has recently started a sports science degree at the University of Kent. "We have worn the shirts and the badge, but we have not formally been part of the Club.

"We have always wanted to be part of the family and be more involved with the Club, like the Ladies teams are at clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal and Crystal Palace, and now that is going to happen.

"It's about building on the new arrangements and boosting the profile of the Ladies team, increasing our support and winning matches.

"When we played Tottenham at the Boleyn Ground earlier this year, it showed the potential of the Ladies."

The teenager joined West Ham from local rivals Millwall Lionesses a little over a year ago, swapping U18 football for first-team football.

Last season proved difficult for the Ladies, who won just five of their 22 matches to finish tenth in the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division.

The new campaign has also seen more lows than highs, but Wheeler says it is still early days and there is plenty of opportunity for the squad to turn things around.

"Last season was my first year with the club and it was a bit of a rollercoaster, and it has been the same again so far this season," she confirmed. "It's been a real experience playing senior football at such a high level, for sure.

"We have got some really talented players, but we have been playing as individuals rather than as a team, so if we can start playing better as a team, then the results will come, I'm sure.

"I travel from Kent to train at Chadwell Heath and the girls all over the country to play matches, so I and all the girls are really committed to the club.

"Having a bigger profile will hopefully mean more fans come along to support us and that, in turn, will motivate the players to perform to a higher level on the pitch."

Sunday's game will see the Hammers host the Eagles for the second time this term, with Palace scoring a 4-0 Southern Division victory at Thurrock FC a month ago. Centre-half Wheeler is hopeful of a more positive result second time around.

"It's a massive game for us," she said. "Palace have a very attacking team. They came up from the division below in the summer and have played well so far this season.

"They are a team to look out for but we have got the personnel and the capability to give a good account of ourselves and get through to the next round."

Kick-off at Ship Lane is at 2pm on Sunday 16 October. Free parking is available, with tickets priced at £5 for Adults and £1 for Under-16s.

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Henry's hat-trick fire U18s to victory
WHUFC.com

West Ham United's U18s comfortably beat Norwich City 5-2 away from home on Saturday
Korrey Henry scored a hat-trick, with Tunji Akinola and Alfie Lewis adding to the scoring
The Hammers are now up to second in the U18 Premier League South

West Ham United U18s cruised to a 5-2 victory over Norwich City with assistant manager Mark Phillips labelling it a "controlled performance".

The Hammers went into the match after a losing 1-0 at Chelsea before the international break, and Steve Potts made two changes with Korrey Henry and Mason Barrett coming into the starting eleven.

Anthony Scully was missing through illness and Conor Coventry was away on international duty with Ireland U17s, but the changes in personnel did not affect the Hammers' display, who won very comfortably.

"It's a long way away from our best performance of the season but it's still a big achievement to score five away at Norwich," said Phillips.

"We controlled the second half. We played some really good football and the lads did themselves proud today."

The Hammers went behind after eight minutes after Louis McIntosh pounced on a loose ball and slotted beyond Sam Howes.

But Steve Potts' side responded in emphatic fashion. Korrey Henry, who was returning to the starting eleven, closed down a Norwich man in possession and showed great composure to slide the ball into the bottom corner.

The Hammers kicked on from their equaliser and went ahead just before the half hour mark. Ben Johnson swung a free-kick to the back post and Ben Wells squared the ball to captain Tunji Akinola to tap into the net.

Henry added his second just before the break, after the tenacious Jahmal Hector-Ingram was fouled in penalty area. The resulting spot kick was stroked home by Henry with ease.

Henry was in the thick of things just after the break for the Hammers fourth goal. He was tugged back in the penalty area and stepped up to score again from the spot and complete his hat-trick.

Alfie Lewis scored the Hammers fifth, stabbing home after great persistence from Hector-Ingram and although Norwich added a second with ten minutes to play, the Hammers held out for a comfortable win.

The victory moves Potts' side up to second in the table, and they're now just a point behind leaders Arsenal in the U18 Premier League South, with a home fixture against bottom side Swansea City to come next weekend.

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Crystal Palace 0-1 West Ham United
By Chris Osborne
BBC Sport

West Ham beat Crystal Palace to climb out of the relegation zone as Christian Benteke missed a penalty for the hosts. Manuel Lanzini converted Aaron Cresswell's low cross to secure the Hammers' first win in six Premier League games in an uninspiring match at Selhurst Park. Benteke missed two chances to level for Palace, floating a woeful spot-kick wide after he was fouled by Angelo Ogbonna and heading against the post moments later. West Ham, who started the game in the bottom three but are now up to 15th, were reduced to 10 men for the last 15 minutes when Cresswell received two bookings within the space of 51 seconds.
Hammers keeper Adrian had to make a point-blank save from Connor Wickham's header in injury time, but Alan Pardew's eighth-placed Palace were generally lacking in attack as their five-game unbeaten run in the league came to an end.

Bilic breathes a sigh of relief

It was a timely result for West Ham boss Slaven Bilic, whose only other league win this season had come against Bournemouth in August. After leading West Ham to a seventh-placed finish last season, Bilic had overseen the Hammers' worst start to a top-flight campaign since 1988-89 in the first seven games this term. But this solid, if not exhilarating, win will ease fears of a relegation battle for a club that has moved into the London Stadium, which currently has a 57,000-capacity.
The Croat reshaped his side from the 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough two weeks ago, playing with three centre-backs and bringing left wing-back Cresswell back into the team for the first time this season after a knee injury. And it was Cresswell, who has been touted as a possible England international, who provided the tantalising ball from the left that Lanzini side-footed past Steve Mandanda for his eighth West Ham goal. The Hammers almost finished the game off before Cresswell's dismissal, but Jason Puncheon was on hand to clear Michail Antonio's header off the line.

Cresswell unlucky to go?

Instead, West Ham had to hold on to their lead with a one-man disadvantage after a harsh sending off for Cresswell. His first booking, moments after the Antonio chance, was given for a dive in the area, although there looked to be some contact from Yohan Cabaye's challenge. And less than a minute later he was shown another questionable yellow card for putting an arm across Wilfried Zaha when the pair were chasing a ball down the Palace right flank. Palace, who had improved in the second half, immediately saw more of the ball and pinned back the visitors, but only produced the late chance for substitute Wickham.

Wasteful Benteke costs Eagles

For Crystal Palace, it was a performance uncharacteristic of their season so far, having won four of their first seven league games and soaring into the top half of the table. And even though they failed to register a shot on target until the 57th minute, the Eagles could have won the game had Benteke not been so wasteful.
The Belgian has three goals already this season and scored a hat-trick for his country against Gibraltar on Monday, but his wayward penalty, alongside a pair of headed chances - one that hit the post and another that went over from close range - could have salvaged something for Palace from an uninspiring display.
The result continues Palace's recent struggles against West Ham, having won just one of their past five top-flight meetings with their London rivals.

Man of the match - Manuel Lanzini
Manuel Lanzini

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic told BBC Sport: "We opened them up really well and created chances. We produced a really good performance. "The second yellow card was an extremely, extremely harsh decision. Those two decisions were not correct. I don't like to moan. I'm the first to say it's very hard for referees... but those two decisions today... thank God it didn't affect the result. "It was by far Simone Zaza's best performance today. He won more balls in the air than in the previous games. I hope we have turned the corner. We need to repeat this. We have to have this kind of approach. It's a cruel league but I never stop believing."

Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew told BBC Sport: "I was disappointed with a lot of aspects of the game. "We didn't start well and they got a deserved lead. We had to make changes at half-time because weren't playing with the fluidity as we have done. We were better in the second half. "We should have at least got a draw. With the penalty I was thinking with the week Benteke has had it'll go in. "That would have been a lifeline and would have turned the game on its head. We would gave gone in 1-1 at half-time. This happens in the course of the season. Adrian made a good save at the end."

The stats you need to know

For the first time, West Ham have won three in a row away to Crystal Palace in the league
The Eagles have lost each of their past five Premier League London derbies at Selhurst Park
Six of Manuel Lanzini's eight Premier League goals have come away from home
Lanzini has scored in each of West Ham's last three top-flight clashes with Palace (three goals in total)
Since his debut in August 2014, Aaron Cresswell has provided nine assists in the Premier League, a haul only two other defenders can better (Janmaat 11, Baines 10)

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REF WATCH – CRYSTAL PALACE V WEST HAM – MARTIN ATKINSON
BY BRIAN KNOX ON 15 OCTOBER 2016 AT 10:11PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by Sam Roydell-Ryell

After 7 games, we're sitting uncomfortably at the foot of the league and the international break was a welcomed break for Slaven Bilic and the team to work on the basic area in defence and attack, which has been lacking in the first 7 games. Aaron Cresswell starts for the first time this season, after getting injured in pre-season. It's a welcomed return and I hope he will give some stability to the defence. James Tomkins plays against West Ham for the first time since his transfer in July to seek first team football. Tonks was a solid player for West Ham and I wish him all the best. The referee appointed for this London derby is Martin Atkinson. Atkinson was the man in the middle in our 4-2 defeat at home to Watford in September.

Martin Atkinson had a relatively quiet half right up until the 45th minute when he had to make two big decisions within seconds of each other. The first decision Atkinson had to make was to determine whether Michali Antonio fouled Andros Townsend on the edge of the area. Atkinson was very quick to signal this wasn't a foul by it waving away. Whilst Atkinson was waving away the appeals, the ball ricocheted into the path of Angelo Obgonna and he attempted to clear the ball but Christian Benteke was quick and Ogbonna caught the Belgium on his right foot. This was incredibly clumsy by Ogbonna but Atkinson was spot on to award the penalty. Atkinson made two very good decisions, which other referees could of easily got wrong. There were a couple of fouls against Benteke in the first half. Kouyate was in the wars with the Belgium international and I expected further tussles with the two players in the second half. The only player cautioned in the first half was West Ham's captain Mark Noble for a poor challenge on Townsend. The challenge was reckless, unnecessary and did warrant a yellow card in my opinion.

What can I say about Martin Atkinson on his second half performance after I praised him very highly in the first half; it really was a tale of two halves. The two decisions in the first half were brilliant, however the two decisions against Aaron Cresswell in the second half were very disappointing. West Ham and Cresswell will feel very hard done by for the two decisions Atkinson made within two minutes of each other. The first decision Atkinson had to make was whether contact was made by Yohan Cabaye on Cresswell inside the penalty area. Atkinson blew for a foul against Cresswell and was issued a caution for simulation. Cresswell's second yellow card was for bringing down Wilfried Zaha on the right hand touchline. The assistant referee was the official to award this foul against Cresswell and mouthed to Atkinson 'off'.

I have so many issues with both of these decisions and it could have cost West Ham well deserved 3 points. Firstly, Atkinson was in the perfect position to see that Cabaye took Cresswell's right foot away from him. I cannot defend Atkinson in this situation and his decision should have been straightforward awarding a penalty to West Ham. If Atkinson made the correct decision, Cresswell wouldn't have received the unfair yellow card. Secondly, the decision the linesman made on Cresswell's challenge on Zaha was very, very harsh with minimal contact made by Cresswell. The linesman made the call, which was a huge decision to make in such a critical period of the game and Atkinson chose to listen by issuing a yellow card on the information he received. If Cresswell wasn't on a yellow card, I think Atkinson would still have issued a yellow card, which I still feel would have been harsh. Regardless of this, in my opinion Cresswell should have still been on the pitch and Atkinson did make two huge errors. Cresswell will be suspended for one game for two bookable offences and West Ham are unable to appeal the decision. What I did find interesting was that Martin Atkinson waved away a very similar coming together earlier in the second half with Cresswell and Zaha. This was inside the penalty area with once again minimal contact made by Cresswell; the inconsistency is an issue for me.

Martin Atkinson had a very good first half but for me, a very disappointing second half. In my opinion, I feel that Atkinson guessed the two decisions, especially the penalty. Cresswell shouldn't have issued a yellow card for 'simulation' as there was blatant contact by Cabaye and contact by Cresswell on Zaha was very soft.

On a positive note, it's great to see us play so well again with glimpses of last season, particularly in the first half. Billic changed his formation and it worked a treat but I feel this formation suits us more when Cresswell is in the team. He was very impressive as a wingback and made some great attacking positions. For me, there were so many standout performances alongside Cresswell with Ogbonna, Reid and Kouyate also solid in defence. You also have to give Zaza a lot of credit. He was non-stop throughout, chasing down every ball and putting pressure on the Palace defence. He does need to take his opportunities and have a shot on goal, but his goal will come and hopefully he can push on. Next week we welcome a Sunderland team rooted to the bottom of the league and I hope we can push on and get on a winning streak.

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Noble: we're behind Slav - as we always have been
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 15th October 2016
By: Staff Writer

Mark Noble continued his defence of manager Slaven Bilic tonight in the wake of recent criticism from some areas of the media. The club captain, speaking moments after the Hammers had secured their first away win of the season at Crystal Palace reiterated his support for Bilic after the manager's credentials had been called into question following West Ham's poor start to the season. "If everyone reads the papers and listens to what everyone's saying, sometimes it does get to you. It does," Noble, who played a full 90 minutes at Selhurst Park this afternoon told BT Sport. "We've deserved a bit of criticism now and then because we have been bad. "But we're fully behind the manager - I think everyone's come out and said that - and I think that showed tonight with the way we played."
The three points lift West Ham out of the relegation zone into 15th place in the Premier League. Today's match - West Ham's first Premier League win since 21 August - ended 1-0 as Manuel Lanzini's 19th-minute strike proved to be sufficient to secure a precious three points.

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Redknapp blasts 'disgusting' Cresswell decision
KUMB.com
Filed: Saturday, 15th October 2016
By: Staff Writer

Harry Redknapp has branded referee Martin Atkinson's decision to dismiss Aaron Cresswell at Selhurst Park this afternoon "disgusting". West Ham's returning full back was dismissed by match official Atkinson for a foul on Wilfried Zaha just 50 seconds after he was mistakenly booked for diving at the other end of the field.
And the decision to dismiss the Liverpudlian for an "innocuous" challenge on Palace winger Zaha was slammed after the game by former Hammers boss Redknapp.
"It was a ridiculous decision," blasted Redknapp, a guest of match broadcasters BT Sports. "How can you send someone off for that? It was disgusting. It was an innocuous challenge - two players running towards each other. "He [Atkinson] could have ruined a great performance from West Ham with that sending off, but they kept going and it was a great result for them."
Despite being forced to play the remaining 19 minutes with only ten men, West Ham held on to record their first away win of the Premier League campaign thanks to Manuel Lanzini's first half effort.

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Crystal Palace 0-1 West Ham: Manuel Lanzini grabs winner as Christian Benteke misses penalty
By Gerard Brand
Last Updated: 15/10/16 10:05pm
SSN

Manuel Lanzini's first-half goal gave 10-man West Ham a much-needed 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday evening. Lanzini put West Ham ahead in the first half with a sweeping finish inside the area, before Christian Benteke missed a penalty and hit the post with a header on the stroke of half-time. Aaron Cresswell was sent off with 15 minutes remaining after picking up two bookings within a minute, but West Ham held on for a vital win. It leaves West Ham 15th in the Premier League with seven points from eight games, while Palace are in eighth, four points above the Hammers. In the pouring rain at Selhurst Park, West Ham dominated the opening stages, and were ahead on 19 minutes. After exchanging passes with Dimitri Payet on the left wing, Cresswell's superb centre was swept home by Lanzini from six yards, after the Argentine ghosted into the area unmarked. Palace struggled to claw their way back into the game until a frantic final few minutes of the first-half, the hosts winning a penalty after Angelo Ogbonna had brought down Benteke in the area.

The Belgian, who scored a hat-trick in midweek against Gibraltar, stepped up, but nonchalantly stroked his penalty wide of the top right corner. Benteke almost made amends instantly, but his towering header from a right-wing cross came off the outside of Adrian's right-hand post. Palace goalkeeper Steve Mandanda thwarted Payet after the break from close range as Lanzini's good work set up the Frenchman inside the area, before Michail Antonio's close-range header from a corner was cleared off the line by Jason Puncheon.
Cresswell then got the first of his bookings for simulation after going down easily under Yohan Cabaye's tackle in the area, and barely a minute later was harshly shown a second yellow for pulling back Wilfried Zaha on the right wing. Benteke should have brought Palace level with 10 minutes remaining, heading over the bar from Puncheon's fine ball, and Adrian was at his best to deny substitute Conor Wickham's close-range header at the far post in stoppage time.

Player ratings

Crystal Palace: Mandanda (6), Ward (6), Tomkins (6), Delaney (6), Kelly (6), McArthur (5), Ledley (5), Puncheon (6), Townsend (6), Zaha (6), Benteke (4)
Subs: Cabaye (6), Fryers, (5), Wickham (6)

West Ham: Adrian (6), Reid (8), Cresswell (6), Kouyate (8), Lanzini (8), Zaza (6), Obiang (6), Noble (7), Ogbonna (7), Payet (7), Antonio (6)
Subs: Nordtveit (6), Calleri (NA), Fernandes (NA)

Man of the match: Winston Reid

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Slaven Bilic: West Ham's win over Crystal Palace doesn't change much
By Gerard Brand
Last Updated: 15/10/16 10:31pm
SSN

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday should not paper over some cracks in his side. Manuel Lanzini's first-half goal gave West Ham a much-needed win, only their second in the Premier League this season, to lift them out of the relegation zone. But Bilic, while praising his side for their character, says the win does not mean his side are now "OK". "It's always the players. I am more than happy to take the whole responsibility when it's not good but it's about the players who tonight showed everything. Showed confidence, showed composure, showed team spirit and showed quality on the ball," Bilic said. "It's a very cruel league. We spoke about this a few times with the guys in the press conferences at Rush Green. I didn't stop believing. These three points aren't going to change [league position] if we stop doing what we did today. But this league is very cruel. "If we think for one second that now we are OK and we are going to win points or games just because we turn up, and just because we won. No. "There is no yesterday in football. But this has to be a pattern for us in a positive way, what we have to do, only to come into a position to win football games in the Premier League. If you're not like this then you don't have a chance."
Christian Benteke missed a first-half penalty for Crystal Palace, while Aaron Cresswell was sent off for two quick bookings in an eventful game at Selhurst Park.
Palace boss Alan Pardew admitted Cresswell had been harshly dealt with, while Hammers manager Slaven Bilic added: "The first yellow is a penalty for us, and the second yellow is simply not a yellow."

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West Ham receive Andre Ayew boost with £20m signing set to return in December
22:30, 15 OCT 2016
BY STEVE STAMMERS
The former Swansea man has only played 35 minutes for West Ham but hopes to be back for a crunch run of fixtures
The Mirror

Andre Ayew has given struggling West Ham a massive boost with a return to training – and he plans to be fit in six weeks. Ayew signed for £20.5 million from Swansea in the summer but has so far played only 35 minutes for the club. He was injured in the first match of the season against Chelsea where the Hammers lost 2-1. But he starts light training tomorrow the plan now is for him to be back for three crucial matches at the end of November and the beginning of December.
In successive Premier League matches, West Ham face Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Manager Slaven Bilic is desperate to have Ayew's fire-power back for that trio of taxing matches. And Ayew is impatient to help the club who showed so much faith in him.

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Andy Carroll enjoys pint in London pub as his West Ham team-mates beat Crystal Palace
20:53, 15 OCT 2016 UPDATED 21:26, 15 OCT 2016
BY DARREN LEWIS
Carroll was spotted with ex-Hammers team-mate Joey O'Brien at the Slug and Lettuce pub in Canary Wharf
The Mirror

Andy Carroll has been spotted enjoying a pint while watching his West Ham team-mates in action from an east London pub. As West Ham celebrated their first Premier League victory since August with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace just 13 miles up the road at Selhurst Park, England striker Carroll was with ex-Hammers team-mate Joey O'Brien at the Slug and Lettuce bar in Canary Wharf. Carroll is currently working his way back into first-team contention following a lengthy injury lay-off. The former Liverpool frontman hasn't featured for Slaven Bilic's side since August when he suffered a knee blow in the Europa League game with Astra Giurgiu. Carroll remains at the centre of an ongoing probe by his club after he and No.2 goalkeeper Darren Randolph were pictured in a pub last month on the morning after a team-bonding night out. West Ham boss Slaven Bilic had given his blessing to that team bonding night out. However, the Hammers' hierarchy took a dim view of the fact that both he and Randolph had allowed themselves to be pictured in a situation last month that attracted negative publicity for the pair and the club. The Mirror understands that the club is aware of the new photos of Carroll in the pub and will be speaking to the player.

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Crystal Palace 0 West Ham 1: Aaron Cresswell red card a 'diabolical, disgusting' decision, says Harry Redknapp
TOM DUTTON
Evening Standard

Harry Redknapp has branded the decision to send off West Ham's Aaron Cresswell in their victory over Crystal Palace 'diabolical'. Martin Atkinson plunged for his red card after showing Cresswell two yellow in the space of 60 seconds as the clock ticked down at Selhurst Park. Cresswell was initially cautioned for diving in the Palace box when there appeared to be contact, while his second yellow came moments later after a clash with Wilfried Zaha which many felt didn't warrant a booking. Redknapp told BT Sport: "I thought it was the most diabolical decision, how can you send someone off for that? "I thought it was a disgusting decision."

Gary Lineker ✔ @GaryLineker
Horrible refereeing! Never a dive, it was a penalty. And not a 2nd yellow. Cresswell badly treated.
7:03 PM - 15 Oct 2016

The former Tottenham manager was joined in the studio by Ian Wright, who added: "There didn't seem to be much contact. You know how Wilf plays, but the fact is he's got his arm up and he was on the way down almost." Cresswell was making his first appearance since returning from an injury suffered in pre-season and injected life into a Hammers team which has looked out of sorts so far this term. But the 26-year-old will be absent for SUnderland's trip to London Stadium unless they lodge a successful appeal.

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