Daily WHUFC News - 29th October 2017

Late goal breaks West Ham United hearts at Crystal Palace
WHUFC.com

Goals from Chicharito and Andre Ayew were not enough to secure West Ham United a first away league win of the season after a very late equaliser by Wilfried Zaha in a 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. A clever flicked finish from Chicharito on 31 minutes was followed up by a fantastic strike by Ayew moments before half-time, giving the forward three goals in his last two matches. Palace got a goal back after the interval via the penalty spot through Luka Milivojevic while Joe Hart produced some moments of brilliance in goal, most notably a double stop just before the half-time whistle. But, despite a gallant effort, West Ham's resolve was broken seven minutes into injury time as Zaha squeezed home with virtually the last kick of the game. After a tepid start to the game at Selhurst Park the match exploded into life after half an hour. Ayew found Aaron Cresswell in space on the flank, and the defender's first-time cross eluded the legs of every Palace player.
The ball found Chicharito, who brilliantly finished with the outside of his right foot to put the Irons into the lead. The finish sprung the home side into action and the Eagles came close to equalising, and would have done, if not for a fantastic double save from Joe Hart. The England international brilliantly checked his momentum to stop James Tomkins' headed effort finding the net, before blocking away Zaha's follow-up effort. With Hart's terrific save keeping West Ham in front, Ayew put the Hammers in control just before half-time with a fantastic finish from outside the box. The forward crafted the chance himself, having taken possession on the half-way line, and fired into the top corner from the edge of the area. Ruben Loftus-Cheek had a chance to half the deficit for Palace in added time but his header went just wide of the post.
It took just five minutes of the second period for Palace to get a goal back however. Angelo Ogbonna brought down Andros Townsend in the box, and Milivojevic tucked away the resulting penalty to cut West Ham's lead to one. The Eagles then hit the post through a Yohan Cabaye strike while Jose Fonte, who came off for Declan Rice, saw a header go wide. Palace continued to threaten and if not for some excellent work by Hart, the home team may have levelled. The shot-stopper palmed away a Zaha effort before also brilliantly saving a Cabaye free-kick. Captain Noble also put his body on the line with some tremendous blocks in and around the area, stopping Palace from levelling the game. Former Hammer Tomkins then hit the crossbar while Bakary Sako hooked over from two yards. But, as the game played out to a close, Zaha received the ball inside the box and was able to turn home low effort, breaking West Ham heart's with what was almost the last kick of the match.

West Ham United: Hart; Kouyate, Fonte (76'), Ogbonna; Zabaleta (Antonio 61'), Noble, Fernandes, Cresswell (Masuaku 46'); Ayew, Chicharito, Lanzini
Subs not used: Adrian, Obiang, Arnautovic, Carroll
Goals: Chicharito 31', Ayew 43'

Crystal Palace: Speroni; Ward (Sako 60'), Tomkins, Dann, Van Aanholt (Fosu-Mensah 11'); Milivojevic, Cabaye, Townsend, Loftus-Cheek, Schlupp; Zaha
Subs not used: Hennessey, Delaney, Kelly, Puncheon, Riedewald
Goals: Milivojevic (p) 50', Zaha 90+7

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Bilic - Palace draw feels like a defeat
WHUFC.com

Slaven Bilic said that Saturday's 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace 'felt like a defeat' after West Ham surrendered a two goal lead to leave Selhurst Park with just the one point. Goals from Chicharito and Andre Ayew had given the Hammers a 2-0 lead at half-time, however Luka Milivojevic's penalty five minutes after the restart and Wilfried Zaha's 96th minute strike levelled things up in South London. "We are very disappointed, it feels like a defeat" the Hammers boss explained. "We are gutted because we were winning 2-0 and of course the game isn't over but we were in a great position. They put us under a lot of pressure in the second half, but the game was there for us."

West Ham had controlled much of the game in the first 45' and the scoreline at halfway reflected it, but the second period belonged to the hosts. Palace clawed one back just five minutes in to the second half and clearly took confidence from that in to the rest of the game. "Things were very good for us, we knew we had 45 minutes to play where they were going to take more risks and play more direct so we wanted to keep our shape but also explore the space that would leave behind – unfortunately we didn't do it" Bilic said. "I am very disappointed with the penalty, it came too early for us but to concede the second in this manner it makes it even harder to take."

The equaliser came in the last of six additional minutes. When Michail Antonio lost the ball high up the field, the hosts quickly moved it back towards the West Ham penalty area where Wilfried Zaha was on hand to slot it in the bottom corner. "To concede a goal in the last second, in that way when we have the ball high up the pitch, we are gutted." Bilic said. "It was a good goal well taken by Zaha but to be fair, we gave it to them. With five or ten seconds to go, we were in a position where all we had to do was to keep the ball and we made the wrong decision. "All we had to do is keep a hold of the ball but we made a few bad decisions in the last two minutes. Those couple of decisions were very naïve, but these things happen. "The point is not bad, but not right now. It feels like defeat."

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Chicharito: I'd happily swap my goals for points
WHUFC.com

Chicharito has admitted he would gladly swap his goal scored against Crystal Palace for a West Ham United win after the Eagles battled back to claim a 2-2 draw against the Irons. Chicharito netted his fourth Premier League goal of the season in the first half at Selhurst Park before Andre Ayew extended the Hammers' lead, but a Luka Milivojevic penalty and a finish in the 97th minute by Wilfried Zaha meant Slaven Bilic's side departed south London with only a point. The result leaves the Irons still waiting for a first league away win of the season and the Mexican says he would gladly give his goal against Palace – and indeed all of his finishes this campaign – in exchange for more points on the board. When asked about his goal Chicharito told whufc.com: "It's nice and it gives you lot of confidence. I'm a striker and goals give you that but the goals I have so far for the team haven't got us points or a victory so far, so I'm a little disappointed also. "I always say I'd prefer to win matches and change those goals to points. But yeah it was good feeling for Andre Ayew and me. We are both strikers and we scored one goal each."

The 29-year-old struggled to contain his disappointment at Saturday's result after he and Ayew fired the Hammers into the lead before half-time, but insists the side will look to take heart from a positive first-half showing. Chicharito also indicated that he and the team will take the positives from this game as the Club starts to turn towards next weekend's match, against Liverpool. "It's disappointing because we got a good advantage in the first half with two goals," the striker added: "We were two goals up but unfortunately they fought and we couldn't hold them, and then they scored in the last minute. The feeling is disappointment obviously because we felt like we could win this match. "Of course (we will take the positives). We played a good second half at Wembley and now a very good first half – as well the second half was good but they pushed us and they deserve credit as well. "It's not an easy team and it's a very difficult pitch here, it's very close. The fans push them and support them. We got one point at least and then we need to start thinking tomorrow towards the match against Liverpool."

Chicharito also reserved praise for the loyal West Ham United fans in attendance at Selhurst Park, thanking the supporters for their fantastic following at the match. He added: "They were great. They are always great. They always come and they always support us. You can see a very big amount of West Ham supporters and we just want to say thank you to the supporters."

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Martinez and Holland strike again as U23s beat Manchester City
WHUFC.com

West Ham United U23s continued their bright start to the Premier League 2 Division 1 season with a scintillating 2-1 win over Manchester City. The Hammers and the Citizens combined to create well over 30 goal attempts during a hugely entertaining game at Dagenham & Redbridge FC's Chigwell Construction Stadium.
And it was leading scorer Toni Martinez who stole the headlines again, slamming an unstoppable low drive into the bottom left-hand corner with just seven minutes remaining. Saturday's victory means the newly-promoted Hammers now have 17 points from nine games and are up to third in the table. That there were just three goals scored – Nathan Holland had levelled Taylor Richards' 20th-minute opener before half-time – was largely down to the performances of goalkeepers Nathan Trott and Aro Muric. West Ham's England U20 stopper and City's Swiss youth international were both in inspired form, producing a succession of saves to keep their respective teams in the game. The two sides created chance after chance, although it was Terry Westley's hosts who will be more frustrated to have to settle for a single point, rather than all three. Trott was truly outstanding in the opening half, denying Richards, Rabbi Matondo and his 2017 UEFA European Championship-winning teammate Lukas Nmecha, who also side-footed wide when it looked easier to score. Even when City did finally beat the Bermuda-born 'keeper, Trott saved Nmecha's initial shot with his feet and Richards reacted quickest to find the roof of the net.

Having fallen behind, West Ham responded superbly, pinning City back and causing untold problems for centre-half Tosin Adarabioyo, who played 90 minutes in the midweek Carabao Cup win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. The chances continued to flow, with the Hammers' exciting attackers – Holland, Sead Haksabanovic, Daniel Kemp, Domingos Quina and Toni Martinez – catching the eye with their quick feet, movement and combination play. Conor Coventry curled over before Muric denied Holland on no fewer than three occasions. Then, seven minutes before the break, Trott denied Nmecha and the Hammers broke the length of the field to level when the England U20 winger converted from Haksabanovic's pass. The chances continued at both ends as half-time approached, with Pask's superb challenge stopping Richards, Nmecha firing wide, Trott saving from Matondo, Haksabanovic firing wide and Kemp testing Muric with a rising drive.
The fun continued into the second half as West Ham went close five times in the opening five minutes as Holland saw two more shots blocked and a third saved by Muric, Kemp dragged wide and Quina's drive was charged down. City were struggling to contain the home side and Martinez saw a low shot saved comfortably before cutting back for Kemp, who smashed a rising effort agonisingly wide. At the other end, Trott had a much calmer time as City threatened sporadically, with Benjamin Garre's low shot into the side netting and Conor Coventry blocking Richards' effort.

Academy Director Westley sent on Martin Samuelsen and Grady Diangana for the closing stages, and it was the Norwegian who teed up Martinez to win it with an unstoppable low drive with seven minutes remaining, leaving Muric grasping at thin air. Even then, Trott was called into action again, saving superbly from substitute Jairo Dilrosun moments after Martinez's winner to secure three deserved points for his side. Next up for the Hammers is a Checkatrade Trophy group-stage fixture at Bristol Rovers on Tuesday evening.

West Ham United U23s: Trott, Johnson, Pask ©, Pike, R.Longelo, Coventry, Quina (Diangana 73), Holland, Kemp (Samuelsen 72), Haksabanovic (Hector-Ingram 87), Martinez
Subs not used: Scully, Wells
Goals: Holland 38, Martinez 83

Manchester City U23s: Muric, Oliver, Adarabioyo, Francis, Davenport, Smith, Matondo, Dele-Bashiru, Nmecha © (Bolton 66), Richards (Gonzalez 82), Garre (Dilrosun 59)
Subs not used: Sokol (GK), Diallo
Goal: Richards 20

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Crystal Palace 2-2 West Ham United
BBC.co.uk

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson felt Wilfried Zaha's 96th-minute equaliser against West Ham earned his side "scant reward" from a game they dominated.
Zaha snatched Palace their fourth point of the season with the final kick of the game, turning inside the box and finishing low through a host of bodies into the far corner. It came at the end of a battling second half from the home side, who found themselves 2-0 down at the break thanks to a neat finish from Javier Hernandez and a stunning 20-yard drive from Andre Ayew. Luka Milivojevic reduced the deficit from the penalty spot after Andros Townsend had been fouled in the box by Angelo Ogbonna. Palace also hit the woodwork twice and forced a number of good saves from Joe Hart, but the Hammers keeper was powerless to prevent Zaha's effort finding the net. "If we had not got something then it would have been really, really unjust," Hodgson told BBC Sport. "To lose a game where you only faced two shots and you've had 20-odd, and hit the post and had one cleared off the line, it is hard to take. "Although we are pleased, because you are always pleased to get a point when staring defeat in the face, I still thought it was scant reward. "We are happy with a point but I believe, on the performance, we deserved more."
Hodgson's side remain bottom of the Premier League table, but have reduced the gap between themselves and the safety of 17th to four points. The draw also adds to the foundations given to them two weeks ago courtesy of their home win over champions Chelsea. It is a bitter blow to West Ham, who came into the game off the back of a rousing comeback win over Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, but now find themselves just a point above the bottom three.

Zaha the hero again
Wilfried Zaha's goal (96:06) was the second-latest goal scored in the Premier League this season, after Raheem Sterling's winner at Bournemouth in August (96:34) It is no surprise that Palace's upturn in results - at home at least - has coincided with Zaha's return from injury. The Ivory Coast international missed six of the seven defeats with which Palace began their league season, but returned to score the winner against Chelsea before again proving his worth on Saturday as the focal point of his side's attack. He was not alone in offering little in the first half, but significantly upped his game in the second to provide a regular threat, forcing Hart into full-stretch diving saves from two of his six attempts at goal. Zaha's fellow forward Townsend was also a greater presence in the game after the break and it was his run that coaxed a clumsy challenge from Ogbonna for the penalty, fired home by Milivojevic. Cabaye struck the post with a shot and the combative James Tomkins hit the bar with a header from a corner as Palace strove, initially in vain, for a parity that Zaha would dramatically provide. "We worked so hard. We did all the right things. We are buzzing and we deserved it," said Zaha. "The manager said at half-time that we were not playing badly. "The stress must be crazy as a Palace fan. We are playing cup finals every week."

One step forward, two steps back

West Ham's remarkable comeback from two goals down in their Carabao Cup tie at Tottenham on Wednesday suggested that reports of Slaven Bilic's imminent sacking were a tad premature. The Hammers' stirring response at Wembley showcased a determination and togetherness previously lacking in what has been a dire start to a Premier League campaign that plumbed new depths with last Friday's 3-0 home loss against Brighton. Bilic admitted that this result "felt like a defeat", with the final blow coming deep into a game in which they had shown an initial ruthlessness and then backs-to-the-wall resolve. The first half was full of positives for the Hammers, who drafted in four of their protagonists from Wednesday's game - Ogbonna and Cresswell at the back, Mark Noble in midfield and Ayew, scorer of two in that game, in attack. It was from Cresswell's cross that Hernandez opened the scoring with a neat finish using the outside of his boot, before Ayew scored the game's best goal, a long-range finish off the underside of the bar following a jinking run.
After conceding early in the second half they showed a resolve that has been largely lacking this season, but tarnished it in the game's final moments. Given the opportunity to hold on to the ball deep in Palace territory, and with 96 minutes on the clock, substitute Michail Antonio fired a loose and pointless cross straight into the arms of home keeper Julian Speroni. Less than a minute later, the home side were level and the under-pressure Bilic was storming to the changing room shaking his head in frustration. "We knew that the game was not over at 2-0 up at half-time," said Bilic. "I am very disappointed with the penalty, but the way we conceded the leveller was very disappointing. "We needed to keep the ball and we made the wrong decision, with Michail Antonio choosing to cross the ball rather than keep it. "We have to manage the game on the pitch. The game was finished."

Man of the match - Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

Since the 2014-15 season, no player has scored more Premier League goals for Crystal Palace than Wilfried Zaha (15, level with Christian Benteke)

Palace still to keep a clean sheet - the stats you need to know

Crystal Palace are one of just four teams in the big 5 European leagues yet to keep a clean sheet this season (also Benevento, Malaga and Dijon).
West Ham are unbeaten in the Premier League versus Crystal Palace under Slaven Bilic (W3 D2 L0).
All 41 of Javier Hernandez's Premier League goals have been scored from inside the box; only Tim Cahill (56/56) has a higher 100% record.
Andre Ayew has scored three goals in his last two games in all competitions for West Ham - more than he'd managed in his previous 10 this season (2).
West Ham scored with both of their shots on target in this match.
What's next?

Both teams have tough fixtures. Palace travel to Tottenham on Sunday for a 12:00 BST Premier League kick-off.

West Ham are at home to Liverpool the day before (17:30).

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CRYSTAL PALACE 2-2 WEST HAM – MATCH REPORT
AUTHOR: BRIAN KNOX. PUBLISHED: 28 OCTOBER 2017 AT 5:43PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Match Report by @WestHamAmerican

Today West Ham drew even with Crystal Palace 2-2 late, in heartbreaking fashion as Wilfried Zaha scored the final goal in the 96th minute of play. The day began with promise for the Hammers who resumed their Premier League campaign after a surprising League Cup victory over Tottenham earlier in the week. Both Palace and West Ham have had disappointing starts to their year, and both sides were sorely in need of a victory to improve their position on the league table.

Midway through the opening half, it was West Ham who earned their way to the score sheet first. After some tight play in Palace penalty area it was Aaron Cresswell doing what he does best and perfectly crossing from the left side to Javier Hernandez who easily finished.

A few moments later it was Joe Hart earning his wages for the day blocking a very close header from James Tomkins. In the first half Hart showed great poise under attack. But the next goal came from the visiting club again as Andre Ayew took the ball on a long counter attack, sidestepped the defense and cracked a long range 25 yard strike into the net.

By halftime, West Ham had a commanding 2-0 lead and all of the momentum. Cresswell was replaced during the break by Arthur Masuaku after Cresswell showed some discomfort in the closing minutes of the half.

Early in the second half, the Eagles found their own lifeline as Angelo Ogbonna clumsily brought down Andros Townsend in the box and Luka Milivojevic easily converted the penalty kick to bring Crystal Palace back into the match. Unfortunately for West Ham it was their fourth and league leading penalty kick earned this early season. (All four have been converted to goals).

Moments later the West Ham supporters who traveled to Selhust Park almost gasped as Yohan Cabaye had a strong strike on goal. Once again the post saved West Ham from surrendering the equaliser.

In the 80th minute Palace was awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. With a strong attempt, Cabaye almost had the goal if not for the acrobatic save of Joe Hart who punched it wide.

Playing behind the ball for much of the final moments, Palace mustered one last attack in the waning seconds of the match and it was Wilfried Zaha coming open from a defending Michail Antonio, who scored the needed goal basically in the final second of play.

After such a promising week with the Cup victory at Wembley, this defeat hurts. If West Ham can't secure three points against the bottom of the table, who will they fare in December when they play much of the top of the league? It has long been rumoured and reported in London sports media that Bilic had two games prevent his sacking. Only the board can know what these results mean for the embattled manager.

For West Ham, the road doesn't get easier as next week they host Liverpool, who are coming off a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield. Whether the club and the fans can bring some Boleyn magic to the London Stadium next weekend, will be a very important question.

Please check out TheWestHamWay.co.uk all week for any breaking news regarding the coaching status or injury updates for the team.

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward, van Aanholt, Tomkins, Dann, Milivojevic, Cabaye, Loftus-Cheek, Schlupp, Townsend, Zaha
Subs: Hennessey, Fosu-Mensah (11'), Delaney, Riedewald, Kelly, Sako (60'), Puncheon

West Ham: Hart, Cresswell, Fonte, Zabaleta, Ogbonna, Kouyate, Noble, Fernandes, Lanzini, Ayew, Chicharito
Subs: Adrian, Masuaku (45'), Rice (76′), Obiang, Arnautovic, Antonio (62′), Carroll

Referee: Robert Madley

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#REFWATCH: BOBBY MADLEY – CRYSTAL PALACE VS WEST HAM
AUTHOR: SAMTWHWREF. PUBLISHED: 28 OCTOBER 2017 AT 6:07PM
TheWestHamWay.co.uk
Written by @SamRoyden

After a good evening against Spurs in the cup midweek, we've been very quickly brought back down to earth, which was a must win game against Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace. Palace are rock bottom of the league with only 4 points so far this season with 29 defeats in 2017. West Ham visit Selhurt Park with no away wins so far in the Premier League and only scoring on 3 occasions so far this season. With two games to prove himself after being thumped by Brighton, all eyes on Slaven Bilic.

Bobby Madley was the referee appointed for this fixture. This was Madley's first West Ham fixture of the season and I've been heavily critical of Madley in past game due his inconsistency; it can be hugely costly. Madley had a good first half and to his credit he got 95% of the decisions spot on, although I feel his management of persistent fouls needs to be reviewed. Mark Noble gave a captain's display midweek but he was a little off the pace in the first half, with some rogue challenges. Noble gave away four fouls and even after Madley gave Noble a talking too, the West Ham man fouled once again but no action was taken by Madley. This is the type of inconsistencies that Madley needs to work on. Madley needs to manage this to ensure he's enforcing the laws of the games when it comes to misconduct.

The biggest decision Madley had to make was whether Wilfred Zaha was fouled by Jose Fonte in West Ham's penalty area. Madley's positioning was good, he was directly behind the incident and he would have seen that Jose Fonte pulled his leg out of the challenge and Zaha's right knee made contact with the West Ham defender thigh. Madley got this decision spot on in my opinion and 30 seconds later, West Ham scored the first goal of the game from Javier Hernandez. I have to take my hat off to Madley for this decision because he could have easily misinterpreted the challenge if he was at the wrong angle and behind play.

The only yellow card in the first half went to West Ham's Pablo Zabaleta. This was Zabaleta's fifth caution of the season which means that he is now banned for next weekend's home game against Liverpool. It was a poor touch by Zabaleta which made the Argentine lunge into a challenge with Fosu-Mensah who came out second best.

It was an awful start from West Ham in the second half, a moment of madness from Angelo Ogbonna who brought Andros Townsend down in the penalty area for Crystal Palace. Andros Townsend was going away from goal before the Italian stuck out a lazy right foot catching Townsend's ankle. Regardless whether you feel it was soft or not, there was contact and Ogbonna gave Madley that decision.

Bobby Madley had an odd couple of minutes with two obvious fouls which were either incorrectly awarded or not awarded at all. The first incident was between former Hammer James Tomkins and Javier Hernandez. Hernandez and Tomkins were having words before the throw-in when the West Ham men side barged into Tomkins and Tomkins retaliated with a rugby-style challenge with Madley awarding West Ham the free kick. In my opinion, Hernandez made the initial foul so this was incorrectly seen by Madley and his assistant referee. Secondly, Madley viewed this challenge as an over-aggressive challenge by Tomkins with arm around Hernandez's neck yet he wasn't cautioned. I question why because he gave a foul against Tomkins and it should have been a yellow card. Within two minutes of the first incident, Madley missed a stone wall free kick against Fosu-Mensah in the middle of the park – a surprising decision to some but this goes back to my comments earlier about a lack of consistency.

There were two additional cautions in the second half, one for each team. Scott Dann had his hands full all game with Javier Hernandez and the Palace man was caught out of position and pulled the Mexican down to the ground. Following injury to Aaron Cresswell at half time, Arthur Masuaku was bought on as a substitute however was cautioned for late challenges on Townsend from silly decisions.

Overall, Madley's performance was ok but the inconsistency is always a talking point which a referee in the Elite Select Group in the Premier League should have ironed out. To give Madley some credit, he did get the bigger decisions correct during the game with both penalty decisions which are always tough to call.

As I said in the opening paragraph, "brought back down to earth"; this is exactly what Crystal Palace did to us in the second half. Who's to blame? The players for not holding out 6 minutes into additional time. The manager's substitutions. Bilic replacing Zabaleta with Antonio? Regardless, for a Premier League club, against a team who are rock bottom of the league, to concede two goals after being 2-nil in front at half time is outrageous. The players' mentality is not a winning mentality, it's a weak mentality and to not to see out a game that you're leading for 96 minutes is criminal. It's going to be an uncomfortable weekend for Slaven Bilic. Will the board keep him after this performance? Personally, you have to look at the Cup in isolation and focus on Premier League results, the Cup is a one off and to beat Spurs is always added incentive. We need to win the Premier League games to stay out of a relegation battle, these games are vital against the likes of Swansea, Burnley, Brighton and Palace of which we've taken 5 points from a possible 12. If they keep him Bilic for another weekend with Liverpool visiting next weekend, are the board preventing the inevitable? We'll see in due course.

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Family thank life saver
KUMb.com
Filed: Saturday, 28th October 2017
By: Staff Writer

The son of a Hammers fan who suffered a heart attack prior to West Ham United's 3-2 win at Wembley on Wednesday night has thanked the individual who saved his father's life. Wayne Perry's father collapsed prior to the start of West Ham's Carabao Cup match with Tottenham on Wednesday but due to the quick-thinking of a fellow supporter who administered CPR on the spot, survived the ordeal. "Around 20 mins before kick off my Dad collapsed after having a heart attack (not known at the time)," Wayne told KUMB. "It got chaotic and we were shouting for a medic. We put Dad in the recovery position. "Then a gentleman approached my friend and said: "I'm a medic", ripped off Dad's shirt and began administering CPR. Although it seemed like this went on for an age, apparently the paramedics were there in two minutes and shocked him with a defibrillator to get his heart going. "The Doctors said that without that CPR he would not have made it. I never got to say anything to the guy who saved Dad's life as it was all a bit mad, hence my request to do so."
Following his father's recovery in hospital, Wayne and the Perry family asked KUMB to help find the individual who saved his father's life. And we are delighted to reveal that the Hammers hero is company director Ian Pearse. "When my Dad is better we plan to get together and sink a few!" added Wayne. "I can't thank everyone enough for their help and support. I was never a fan of social media but the messages and response has blown me away. "We are planning on turning an awful experience into a positive and I'd like to thank everyone involved for getting the message out there."

Administering CPR is known to save about five per cent of those who experience a heart attack or seizure. The chance of survival is hugely enhanced (to some 50 per cent) if a defibrillator is used, as in this case.

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Crystal Palace 2-2 West Ham: Wilf ried Zaha leads Palace to vital point with last-gasp strike
By James Kilpatrick
Last Updated: 29/10/17 7:55am
SSN

Wilfried Zaha gave Crystal Palace a morale-boosting point against West Ham as they came from behind to draw 2-2.First-half strikes from Javier Hernandez (31) and Andre Ayew (43) were cancelled out by a Luka Milivojevic penalty (50) and Zaha's dramatic last-minute equaliser (90+7) in a fiery contest at Selhurst Park.
Crystal Palace pushed hard for an equaliser in the second half, but Joe Hart pulled off a string of superb saves before Zaha slotted home to secure Roy Hodgson's men a crucial draw with seconds left on the clock. The result means Crystal Palace remain bottom on four points, while West Ham move up to 16th.

Player ratings
West Ham: Hart (9), Cresswell (7), Fonte (6), Zabaleta (5), Ogbonna (5), Kouyate (6), Noble (5), Fernandes (6), Lanzini (6), Ayew (7), Hernandez (7)
Subs: Masuaku (6), Rice (5), Antonio (5)

C Palace: Speroni (6), Ward (5), van Aanholt (N/A), Tomkins (6), Dann (6), Milivojevic (6), Cabaye (7), Loftus-Cheek (6), Schlupp (6), Townsend (7), Zaha (8)
Subs: Fosu-Mensah (6), Sako (6)

Man of the Match: Joe Hart

After a very slow beginning to the match with both sides tentative when attacking, the first real sign of action was in the 29th minute when Zaha tumbled in the box, but referee Bobby Madley waved away any protests. Following the incident came a West Ham counter-attack which Hernandez finished off as he slotted in Aaron Cresswell's low cross from close range.

Moments later, Joe Hart pulled off an incredible double save. First, he denied Tomkins's header with a stunning reflex stop before he unintentionally batted away Jeffrey Schlupp's point-blank strike with his shoulder.

With Palace looking sloppy going forward, it was perhaps no surprise that West Ham's second goal came from a poor giveaway by Milivojevic in central midfield. Ayew was given the licence to go on a fine individual run before he smashed the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Crystal Palace responded brightly in the second half and were back in the game five minutes in after Andros Townsend was bundled over in the box by Angelo Ogbonna. Milivojevic converted the penalty straight down the centre of the goal to provide Palace some much-needed momentum.

Yohan Cabaye so nearly found the equaliser for Palace minutes later but his venomous drive from outside the box beat Hart, but clattered off the inside of the post and out. Palace continued to dominate in the second half but Joe Hart was proving hard to beat. In the 77th minute, he superbly pushed away Zaha's fierce strike shortly before he dived across goal to keep out Cabaye's free-kick.

In the 90th minute, Hart tipped James Tomkins' header onto the bar but Palace would get their equaliser in the 97th minute. Zaha engineered space in the box to beat Cheikhou Kouyate, before firing a shot through substitute Damian Rice's legs into the bottom corner to hand Palace what could be a vital point at the end of the season.

Man of the match - Joe Hart

Joe Hart had his best match in a West Ham shirt. He pulled off two superb saves in quick succession in the opening 45 minutes before denying Zaha twice, Cabaye and Tomkins in the second half. Hart will feel hard done by to concede so late on to the Ivory Coast international, but he put on a display to be proud of and arguably justified Slaven Bilic's decision to start ahead of Adrian.

The pundit - Phil Thompson

"Crystal Palace thoroughly deserved it, as poor as they were in the first half they were as good in the second. "Joe Hart dispelled whatever people have been saying about him because he was absolutely terrific, on his own he kept Palace out. "It was such a good atmosphere in this ground and the home fans were sucking the ball in the second half and they thoroughly deserved it because they gave it a right good go."

Opta stats

West Ham are unbeaten in the Premier League versus Crystal Palace under Slaven Bilic (W3 D2 L0).

Wilfried Zaha's goal (96:06) was the second latest goal scored in the Premier League this season, after Raheem Sterling's winner at Bournemouth in August (96:34).

All 41 of Javier Hernandez's Premier League goals have been scored from inside the box; only Tim Cahill (56/56) has a higher 100% record.

Crystal Palace are one of just four teams in the big five European leagues yet to keep a clean sheet this season (also Benevento, Malaga and Dijon).

What's next?

Crystal Palace face a tough away trip to Tottenham Hotspur for next weekend's Super Sunday. West Ham, meanwhile, next play Liverpool on Saturday evening.

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HERNANDEZ AND AYEW SCORE WITH TWO TOP CLASS STRIKES - BBC MOTD FAILS TO NOTICE!
By S J Chandos 29 Oct 2017 at 08:00
WTID

It was unusual to see a West Ham match second in the MoTD schedule on Saturday evening. Usually we are last or second from last, with some rushed and clipped comments from the match analysts. It was obviously the Palace fight-back from 0-2 down, to grab a draw, that brought about our rare promotion. The post-highlight analysis was a joke as per usual, plenty of stuff about Palace 'deserving' the win and West Ham's naivety, which I expected. What I did not expect was the absence of even a single reference to the quality of West Ham's two goals. The Hernandez opener was a superb strike with the outside of the Mexican international's boot and the build up play was also very sharp, carving open the Palace rear guard with a cool and beautiful efficiency. While, Ayew scored with a great long range strike, that hit the top left of the net like a rocket. So much for Ayew only scoring penalty box tap-ins!

In all honesty, and with due respect, how can any decent TV match analysis fail to praise such outstanding finishing? Would they have been ignored if they had been scored by Man City, Spurs, Man Utd or Liverpool strikers? I think we all know the answer to that. Anyway, do not expect either goal to feature on the short-list for BBC MoTD goal of the month for October!

Today's result was undoubtedly disappointing. Having gone two goals ahead, we should have scored a third and killed the game off. Instead, Palace come out in the second half all fire and determination. And we allowed them to boss the rest of the game. The role of Zaha and Townsend was crucial in that and their wing play (plus some fairly obvious dives) resulted in a penalty and a glut of Palace corners and free-kicks. This does, of course, beg the question why we did not better adapt our tactics to counter their threat and grab back the initiative? As for bad luck (if one is tempted to use that excuse), losing two points in the 7th minute of extra time is beyond being unlucky in my book. Especially as we were in the last minute and Antonio had possession out on the flank, deep in Palace territory. Criticism of Antonio's play in that situation is justified, but lets keep it real and in proportion. The Palace keeper gathered the ball from Antonio's poor cross, it was poor decision-making not to keep the ball, but there was still a awful lot to do between the punt up field and Zaha's shot finding the corner of the net. We must equally scrutinise not just Antonio's decision-making, but also our poor defending in the lead up to the equaliser.

The match report in the Daily Mail was excessively negative in my opinion, arguing that the positivity/momentum arising from the Spurs win has been dissipated and the pressure was back on Bilic. They would argue that because the would much rather run with 'doom and gloom' headlines and stories about Bilic's imminent sacking. It is part of their 'modus operandi.' Mistakes and losing points unnecessarily hurts, but this experience can be productive in the long-run if we only learn from it. The bottom line is the team must learn from it and use it to make us stronger for the remainder of the campaign.

And there were actually positives arising from the match. Firstly, Joe Hart had his best match in a West Ham keeper's shirt. He pulled off some first class saves and, hopefully, his form will continue to improve with his confidence. Cresswell looked much more like his old self in this match and his contribution to the build up to Hernandez's opening goal was excellent. Hernandez demonstrated what a class striker he is. His strike with the outside of his boot was a technically difficult skill, beautifully executed. While Ayew seems to be a player re-born. His long-distance strike was superb and just shows what increased self-confidence can do. Indeed, having a goal scoring midfielder back within our ranks (weighing with 10-15 goals) can be an important factor in revitalising our season. Mark Noble is still not at his very best, but he has improved and is applying himself manfully. He is our leader on the pitch and it is quality leadership and experience that we need at the moment. Moreover, he cares about the club and his reaction at the end of the Palace game (regardless of the rights and wrongs of it from a disciplinary perspective) at least demonstrates his passion. Finally, we still have Reid and Carroll to come back in to the team. Reid is our best defender and leads the defensive unit; while Carroll brings a different set of attributes to our forward line.

So, the bottom line for me is that things were not all wonderful after the Spurs win and ruinous after dropping points to Palace. The team need to learn from the Palace result and use the experience constructively. There were positives from yesterday, if we care to look for them, and these needs to also be considered by the fans (if not MoTD) along with the obvious negatives.

Yes, to climb the table we need a run of wins and it would have been preferable to have began that yesterday, but it will happen. And why not start by beating Liverpool, at home, on 4th November? Stranger things have happened! This is West Ham United after all. COYI!

SJ. Chandos.

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CRYSTAL PALACE 2, WEST HAM 2. FROM WORST TO BAD.
By David Hautzig 28 Oct 2017 at 19:15
WTID

Slaven has two games to save his job.

Save Our Season.

Watershed moment.

Blah blah blah. We've heard it all before. I was almost surprised that I was so annoyed before today's match as opposed to my regular feelings of despair. I said after the Newcastle match that the sample size was big enough to make a strong argument for a change at the top. The cat was already out of the proverbial bag, yet the board were supposedly still contemplating. Reviewing. And after reading a superb piece on Claret & Hugh by Bobby Galbraith, http://www.claretandhugh.info/west-hams-thinking-must-change-from-bottom-to-top/, I don't feel much confidence that the club as a whole can climb out of the ditch we always find ourselves in. And yes, I do know what we did Wednesday night. It was enthralling and brilliant. But a nice meal and a film with your partner doesn't mean a relationship that has been awful for a year should continue. Three points today would ease the pain. Control the rot. Maybe I'm being dramatic, which those who know me won't be surprised by. But I stand by my opinion, and today only reinforced it.

One statistic that has driven me nuts lately is that West Ham have played the most long balls in the Premier League, precisely what supporters hated during the days of He Who Shall Not Be Named. So what did we do twenty seconds into the match? Ogbonna sent a long ball to nobody that ended in a Palace goal kick. Another area of concern has been our defensive mistakes. So what did Lanzini do two minutes later? Commit a silly foul just outside the West Ham penalty area, giving Palace a dangerous free kick. The more things change, etc.

The opening fifteen minutes were a combination of dire and boring. With a few injuries for good measure. Hideous giveaways, passes to phantom players, and virtually zero skill. Even Hernandez gave the ball away time and time again. Like a tennis match with unforced errors all over the place. Neither team looked even remotely Premier League quality….yeah, I know what you're thinking, but I ain't gonna write that. In fact, I didn't know what to say at that point. My trip to the garbage dump this morning to unload an old set of stairs was significantly more exciting. So I decided silence in the written form, along with some coffee, was my best bet.

Like an alarm clock when you are fast asleep, West Ham woke us up in the 31st minute. After Zaha and his fellow Palace players wanted Madley to call a penalty on Fonte, West Ham broke on the counter. Lanzini fed Ayew on the top of the box. The man with the brace on Wednesday rolled a pass to Cresswell on the left, who then whipped a low cross that Hernandez guided in with the outside of his right foot.

Crystal Palace 0
West Ham 1

West Ham almost doubled their lead a few minutes later when Lanzini sent a corner into the box that Ogbonna should have done better with but the ball rolled out for a goal kick. Moments later, Palace earned two quick corners, and on the second Hart showed the qualities that made him one of the better keepers in England for a few years. Palace had a number of unmarked headers in the box, a potentially bad sign for sure, and the third one came off the noggin of James Tomkins. It was headed for goal but Hart somehow got his right hand on it. The rebound fell to Schlupp two yards out, but his shot hit Hart's left armed and went over the bar. If that series of events happens 100 times, 99 result in a goal. So West Ham got one of a few mulligans for the day.

When Andre Ayew signed for Swansea, reportedly over West Ham, I knew a few supporters who were royally disappointed. When he jumped the Welsh ship for us last year, many were pleased in spite of the price tag. He has scored a few goals, but overall he has been a disappointment. But Wednesday gave us a glimpse of what he can do if he fires on all cylinders. In the 43rd minute, Milivojevic took a turn playing the Horrible Giveaway game, and Ayew went to the races. He turned Dann inside out before rifling a shot past a dining Speroni.

Crystal Palace 0
West Ham 2

Zaha earned Crystal Palace a corner in the dying seconds of first half added time. The set piece flew into the West Ham penalty area, and again it looked like no West Ham defender had any interest in, well, defending. Dann had a free header that he sent to Loftus Cheek at the near post. Hart may have had it covered, but he didn't need to because the ball went wide.

Halftime
Crystal Palace 0
West Ham 2

The second half brought an unexpected substitution from Slaven Bilic, with Cresswell coming off for Masuaku. As an attacking move I could see it. But at two-nil up, it had to be an injury to Cresswell. There were reports on Twitter that Cresswell was seen limping at the end of the opening forty five minutes. Masuaku was beaten by Townsend on the right, but Palace couldn't capitalize. But moments later, a pass into the West Ham penalty area was run down by Townsend. Ogbonna stupidly bumped him in the area, and Madley pointed at the spot. Milivojevic, the man responsible for sending Ayew off on the run for West Ham's second goal, stepped up and put it past Hart.

Crystal Palace 1
West Ham 2

Palace went right back on the front foot after their goal, and couldn't have come any closer to an equalizer if they tried. After good work by Zaha on the left, the ball went to Cabaye near the top of the penalty area. His shot hit the inside of the far post and rebounded out to safety. For years I have always feared two-nil leads. One of those crazy West Ham neuroses we all have in some form or another. My fear felt appropriate.

Antonio came on for Zabaleta in the 60th minute in what could only be thought of as injury related again. At least I hope so, because if that was a tactical move you would be hard pressed to find anyone to defend it.

With 17 minutes to go, Fonte went down and signaled his day was done. To those who wanted to see youth given a chance to show what they can do, Declan Rice entered the game while Fonte hobbled off. Despite the desire for The Academy Of Football to return, it was the kind of moment West Ham fans know can be a turning point for the worst.

Moments after the switch, Hart again came to the rescue with a lovely save off of Zaha. A minute later, Ogbonna was again at fault for a bad challenge, giving Palace a free kick at the top of the penalty area. I couldn't watch. I walked out of the room but heard the groans. Thankfully the replay was the same as the live action as Hart dove to his left to make the stop.

Crystal Palace kept up the pressure and won their ninth corner of the match in the 81st minute. The ball bounced around before Milivojevic fired a shot well over the bar. A few minutes later Masuaku saw yellow for continued infringement, and Cabaye whipped in a set piece that West Ham handled well. Then Townsend again beat Masuaku on the right but nobody was in the box to get on the end of his cutback.

I fired another antacid tablet down my throat.

In the 88th minute, my stream died. I got a little bit of audio, most of which sounded like Tony Gale saying West Ham were sloppy and daring Crystal Palace to level the match. Hart made a great save on Tomkins again, and Rice made a good play to intercept a cross. But West Ham had chances to kill off the game, and in the end couldn't. I'm told Antonio was downright negligent when he flipped the ball to Speroni with two Hammers in the box. Zaha beat Kouyate and Rice to score in the final seconds of added time, and we dropped a 2-0 halftime lead to a team that had conspired to lose 29 games this year while not scoring in 17 of them.

Final Score
Crystal Palace 2
West Ham 2

We are on a path that is eerily similar to the season under Grant. If we don't act soon, and in my opinion it's already later than it should have been, we could suffer the same fate. And if the board don't realize relegation at the London Stadium would be far different than it was at Upton Park, they are sadly mistaken. Which doesn't mean I have any faith in them fixing what appears to be broken. They would rather put tar on a hole in their roof than replace the roof itself. So I still expect Bilic to be in charge in May.

I only hope it's more like Zola than Grant and we stay up.

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Winston Reid misses match for West Ham ahead of World Cup playoffs
Last updated 10:16 29/10/2017

Where is Winston Reid?

The All Whites captain was absent from West Ham United's squad for the latest English Premier League round – a fortnight out from the intercontinental World Cup playoff series against Peru. Reid was missing from West Ham's 2-2 draw with lowly Crystal Palace on Saturday (Sunday NZ Time). The 29-year-old – who signed a new six-year contract last August – captained West Ham's 3-0 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion and a 1-1 draw with Chris Wood's Burnley in the previous two EPL rounds. Reid has played more than 150 EPL games since joining West Ham in 2010 after playing for the All Whites at the World Cup finals in South Africa. He is contracted to the east London club until 2023. There has been no word from West Ham manager Slaven Bilic about Reid's absence. Bilic did not mention Reid in his post-match comments after a Palace draw the West Ham boss likened to "a defeat".

Reid was certainly expected to play by most major news outlets, who listed him in the probable starting lineup for the Palace match and his omission was queried by some Hammers supporters in online forums. The New Zealand skipper's sidelining could be a mixed blessing for All Whites coach Anthony Hudson. It reduces the risk of injury to the defensive lynchpin before the Peru series, but it also means he has missed some match practice. Reid could be in line for a return for next weekend's home match against Liverpool with West Ham criticised for defensive blunders in the Palace stalemate.
Hammers centreback Angel Obanna – Reid's replacement – gave away a penalty, converted by Wilfred Zaha, who scored Palace's equaliser in the sixth minute of injury time after a blunder by West Ham's Michail Antonio. The substitute right wingback opted to launch a cross into Palace's area rather than run the ball out to the corner flag and Zaha scored on the counter-attack. Bilic said: "That was just a bad decision that shouldn't happen at this level of football, definitely.

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1899 Hoffenheim 1-3 Borussia Mönchengladbach

Reece Oxford made a belated competitive debut for Borussia Monchengladbach more than two months into the Bundesliga season. The England Under-20 defender, signed on loan from West Ham in July, came on for the final 10 minutes of Saturday's 3-1 win at Hoffenheim. Oxford, 18, played in five pre-season games for the club, but had only been an unused substitute in the league. Thorgan Hazard, Matthias Ginter and Jannik Vestergaard scored for Gladbach. They came from behind to secure the victory, which lifted them above their opponents into sixth place, after Kerem Demirbay had given Hoffenheim a half-time lead.
Oxford, who spent five months on loan at Reading last season, has made seven Premier League appearances.

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Slaven Bilic: Michail Antonio's mistake shouldn't happen at Premier League level
JACK ROSSER at Selhurst Park
ES Sport

Slaven Bilic says Michail Antonio's late mistake which cost West Ham two precious points against Crystal Palace should not happen at Premier League level. In the final moments of six additional minutes at Selhurst Park, and with Hammers closing in on three vital points, Antonio opted to cross into the Palace area rather than dribble towards the corner flag to see the game out. Antonio, who had come off the bench to fill in at right wing-back, spotted Manuel Lanzini on the far side of the box but Palace regained possession with ease and immediately started an attack which Wilfried Zaha finished in the seventh minute of stoppage time. Bilic was blunt in his assessment, praising his players' efforts after a stunning comeback against Tottenham just three days ago before expressing his disappointment at the manner of the equaliser. "The players gave everything again," he said. "They ran, they defended, as I said some of them played 90 minutes three days ago. "That goal has nothing to do with their attitude in terms of being too sloppy or too casual or not in position. That was just a bad decision that shouldn't happen at this level of football, definitely." The late goal means Bilic now faces the task of once again lifting his players' spirits before they welcome Liverpool to London Stadium next weekend.

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Every word of Joe Hart's emotional outburst to his teammates after West Ham's draw with Crystal Palace
The Hammers conceded an equaliser in stoppage time
Football London
Andy Ha
06:30, 29 OCT 2017UPDATED07:24, 29 OCT 2017

Joe Hart slammed his West Ham United teammates after the Hammers conceded a 96th minute equaliser against Crystal Palace. Goals from Javier Hernandez and Andre Ayew gave Slaven Bilic's a 2-0 lead, before Luka Milivojevic reduced the deficit from the penalty spot, after Andros Townsend had been fouled in the box by Angelo Ogbonna. With the clock ticking down and the Hammers heading towards an important three points, Wilfried Zaha snatched Palace their fourth point of the season with the final kick of the game.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Hart said: "I can't believe we've done that. We've come in quick after the game, we probably shouldn't have come in quick after the game, but I can't believe we've fought all the way til the end and been so unprofessional at the end."
Asked if the dressing room was quiet after the game, Hart added: "Yeah a little bit. No one does things on purpose in this team, but I think it's two points dropped, it's as simple as that."
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was equally disappointed, suggesting Michail Antonio should have displayed better game management at the end. "We knew that the game was not over at 2-0 up at half-time," said Bilic. "I am very disappointed with the penalty, but the way we conceded the leveller was very disappointing. "We needed to keep the ball and we made the wrong decision, with Michail Antonio choosing to cross the ball rather than keep it. "We have to manage the game on the pitch. The game was finished."

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HAM BUSTER West Ham landlords on verge of going bust – with millions more in public cash set be poured into London Stadium
New dispute over the club's low-cost lease seems certain as the price of keeping E20 Stadium LLP out of administration is likely to be MORE public funding on top of hundreds of millions
EXCLUSIVE
By Dan King
26th October 2017, 5:25 pm
Updated: 26th October 2017, 5:29 pm
The Sun

WEST HAM'S landlords at the London Stadium are on the verge of going bust. The Mayor of London and Newham Council will move heaven and earth to avoid the humiliation of the Hammers being locked out of their ground or made homeless. West Ham were dumped 3-0 by Brighton in their last match at London Stadium and could now face off-field problems. But the price of keeping E20 Stadium LLP out of administration is almost certain to be the investment of even more public money on top of the hundreds of millions already spent. And athletics chiefs are worried the crisis could lead to their sport losing its annual right to stage events in the former Olympic Stadium, totally undermining the London 2012 legacy.
Sources indicate there is no realistic prospect of persuading or forcing West Ham to increase their current annual rent of just £2.5m. But the generous terms of the Premier League strugglers' 99-year lease are likely to come under renewed attack. The row was already due to go public again in the coming weeks with the publication of a report into why it cost £323m to convert the stadium - on top of the £429m spent on construction. E20 Stadium LLP is a joint venture between the London Legacy Development Corporation – an offshoot of the Greater London Authority – and Newham Legacy Investments Ltd, a company controlled by the London Borough of Newham. They invested about £260m and £40m of public money respectively into the conversion costs, with West Ham providing £15m. Current London mayor Sadiq Khan commissioned the report last year and is putting pressure on accountancy firm Moore Stephens to deliver their findings, which were due back in June. Khan will use the report as political ammunition to attack predecessor Boris Johnson over key decisions made about the stadium. But the review is also expected to lay bare the troubled finances of E20 and major stakeholders are already privately discussing the possibility of administration.

The main issue is the annual £8m cost of converting West Ham's football arena into a track and field venue and back again, in accordance with the separate 99-year deal signed with UK Athletics. E20's last accounts, for the year to March 31 2016, showed the stadium lost more than £9m through its day to day operations BEFORE West Ham took up residence in August 2016. As well as the £8m summer conversion costs, E20 is now also liable for other expenses related to the Hammers' tenancy, from heating, lighting, policing, stewarding, cleaning and turnstile operators to the goalposts, net and corner flags. The failure to secure a naming rights deal is another factor in the current financial uncertainty surrounding a venue whose overall cost is well over £700m. Newham and GLA hoped to recoup their investment from E20's profits, but there ARE no profits and no prospect of any under the current arrangements. All that public money would be at risk if E20 went into administration, so high-level discussions are now taking place to find a long-term solution. But West Ham coughing up more is unlikely to be it.
Another approach would be to invest in adapting the stadium so it was quicker and cheaper to convert for athletics each summer. The cost would depend on the method chosen, but a state-of-the-art system like the Stade de France's would need about £100m and require West Ham to vacate the site for a while or face years of disruption while work was done on a stand-by-stand basis. There are also degrees of possible compromise on athletics. The sport fears losing its annual presence in the iconic London 2012 venue altogether but other options are under consideration, such as partial summer conversion which would leave the East Stand seats undisturbed. This is a modal window.
A Newham Council spokesperson said: "We are working closely with the Mayor of London, the London Legacy Development Corporation and the E20 contractors to explore all potential solutions and improve the overall financial position of the stadium." An LLDC spokesman said: "The Mayor and officials are in discussions with the relevant parties and we will comment further when the Moore Stephens review has been published."

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