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It’s one of the best weeks in a long, long time for West Ham United, as they completed a perfect seven day stretch with an energetic 3-2 win over London rivals Crystal Palace Saturday afternoon at the London Stadium.
The third straight win for the Hammers was made even more impressive considering their conceded just three minutes into the match, as poor marking on a set piece allowed James Tompkins to inflict horror on his former club by directing a header into the path of James McArthur. It was Palace with the early lead, and Roy Hodgson’s side was organized well in the first half. Manuel Pellegrini had to make a change in the second half, and he did by bringing on Andy Carroll as the tall striker returned to the fold from his latest lengthy injury.
But West Ham got inspiration from those already on the field, and it was Robert Snodgrass who scored his first goal for the club with a delightful curler that Wayne Hennessey would do nothing with in the 48th minute, to even the match.
The Hammers would not have to wait too long to take the lead for good, as Hennessey did poorly with his Felipe Anderson’s free kick and parried it into the path of Javier Hernandez, who did what Chicharito does best to make it 2-1 Hammers.
Then it was the brilliant Brazilian providing the moment of the match, when Anderson produced a spectacular, perfect curler that no goalkeeper would have saved in the 65th minute.
Crystal Palace did make it stressful for the Hammers though, with Jeff Schlupp heading home in the 76th minute, as again poor marking plagued the home side.
But Pellegrini’s side showed the winning character exhibited all week by preventing a late equalizer and now getting into the top half of the table for the first time this season.
Can the Hammers keep on ascending, and make it four wins in a row? Their December busy schedule will continue with a second straight London derby, against last place Fulham next Saturday at Craven Cottage.