Crystal Palace 2-3 West Ham: Tomas Soucek double sends Hammers fourth

West Ham continued their flawless begin to 2021 with one other spectacular win to maneuver into the highest 4 of the Premier League.

The free-scoring Soucek added one other and Michail Antonio will really feel he ought to have had a hat-trick of his personal, twice hitting the put up and seeing Vicente Guaita make an exquisite reflex save to maintain him out.

Craig Dawson did add the third with a routine header from a nook as Roy Hodgson’s facet continued their very own run of kind – the mirror picture of West Ham’s resurgence.

Michy Batshuayi’s late strike for the hosts took among the shine off the scoreline for West Ham however in reality they had been not often troubled.

Three factors made it six wins in a row in all competitions for the guests, however Palace – nonetheless a wholesome 11 factors away from hazard – have now gained one in 10.

Europe the restrict for West Ham?

The Hammers sit fourth within the desk, above champions Liverpool, a state of affairs few would have imagined only a yr in the past.

West Ham had been seventeenth within the Premier league, only one level above the relegation zone, when Moyes returned for a second spell in December 2019.

Now he might have his sights on matching the membership’s finest ever Premier league end of fifth in 1999 – though he’ll know in addition to any supervisor to not take his facet’s kind as a right on this most unpredictable of seasons.

Zaha’s good early aim had the Hammers on the again foot instantly however they settled properly and had been stage when Antonio hooked a ball throughout for the ever harmful Soucek to energy in a header.

The Czech, a relative cut price at £19m, has had an important yr beneath Moyes and shortly added a second, controlling a deep free-kick on his thigh earlier than smashing in on the close to put up.

Straight from the restart Antonio hit the put up from the sting of the world and he did the identical earlier than the break, turning a miscued shot from Aaron Cresswell on to the woodwork.

His misses wouldn’t matter although, regardless of Batshuayi’s stoppage-time end. Dawson’s highly effective header made it 5 wins for Moyes in 5 matches at Selhurst Park, for 5 totally different groups – Preston (2001), Everton (2004), Manchester United (2014), Sunderland (2017) and West Ham (2021).

Extra to observe.