CRYSTAL PALACE v WEST HAM UNITED
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
TUESDAY 3 DECEMBER 2013
KICK-OFF: 8PM
REFEREE: LEE MASON
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MATCH PREVIEW I TACTICALLY SPEAKINGFinal score - Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham United
96: That's it. All over. West Ham lose. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back at Anfield on Saturday. I think Morrison might have earned himself a booking after the final whistle. If he did, that's him suspended for Liverpool at the weekend. Replays show he pushed Ward in the face after the full-back had become involved in an altercation with Tomkins. All totally unnecessary and it means Morrison won't be available. Right, that really is all from Selhurst Park.
95: Into the final minute... West Ham have pumped a couple of balls into the box but Palace are dealing with them comfortably.
93: Another offside flag, this time against McCartney. It's the correct decision. Speroni prepares to take a free-kick. He hasn't had a lot to do, in all honesty. Tomkins flicks on the Speroni clearance... to Kebe! He is clean through, Jaaskelainen comes out to meet him and when he turns he can only fire a yard over the top.
91: Into five minutes of added time and Downing's cross is cleared. Tomkins gets there first and is fouled by Jerome. Noble lifts it into the box and Collins is offside...
89: Kebe concedes a corner as Downing slides a ball in for McCartney. The corner comes into the near post and Collins wins the header. It hits Jedinak on the head and goes wide. Goal kick, according to Mr Mason, much to Collins' displeasure. Time is running out. Fast.
88: Some possession is all in front of Palace until Collins goes himself and wins a foul. Noble's free-kick to the edge of the box is headed out for a throw.
85: Chamakh is replaced by Jonny Williams for the final few moments. Palace also have a free-kick outside the West Ham box following a McCartney foul on Kebe. It is cleared, but the home side win the ball back and find Kebe again. His cross floats wide of the far post.
84: Downing is caught offside. Big Sam does not look very pleased when his face is shown on the TV screen in the Press Box.
83: The two wingers have switched wings. Downing is now on the left. Cole on the right.
82: Palace make a change. Bannan is the man going off - slowly - and ex-Southend man Stuart O'Keefe is on in his place.
81: Into the final ten minutes. A draw would feel like a victory, now.
80: West Ham clear and counter through Diame. He runs forward and then tries to play in Cole, but he is crowded out and Speroni is out to collect, That was a decent opportunity.
79: Rat is replaced by McCartney.
77: Rat loses out to Kebe and the Eagles work it inside the West Ham box before Jerome finds Dikcagoi. He shoots hard and high at the net, but Jaaskelainen can collect.
76: It's attack against defence at the moment. Rat's cross is cleared as far as Morrison, who screws his volley low and wide of the left-hand post. Head in hands for Morrison. The frustration grows...
75: Downing gets it over the wall but it doesn't have the pace to beat Speroni, who dives low to his right and holds on.
74: West Ham are having plenty of the ball as Palace have sat back on their lead. Diame is fouled by Jedinak after beating the home captain with a step-over. This one is in range. It probably favours a left-footer. Morrison seems to be placing it, though...
71: The net in Speroni's goal has come off it's post. A quick pit-stop and Mr Mason is happy.
69: West Ham showing some signs of life as the cross comes over from the right. Maiga heads it down and the ball hits a defender and is cleared. It's been that sort of night.
67: Tomkins is booked for tripping Jerome after the striker had turned him. Free-kick for Palace, 35 yards out. Bannan standing over it. Jedinak is caught offside. He plays on and prods back for Kebe, who nets. No goal.
65: Kebe is on to replace Puncheon for Palace.
62: Morrison is brought down by Jedinak. The ball is delivered from the left and drops to Downing from O'Brien's header down, Downing blasts it into the net with a superb finish, but the assistant is flagging. Replays show he had spotted O'Brien pulling the shirt of Chamakh. The Moroccan did not even appeal for a foul.
58: Carlton Cole and Nolan are replaced by Maiga and Joe Cole. Diame goes into the centre, with Cole wide left.
57: Downing and Morrison combine once, but the second time the No15's clip over the top is too strong and Speroni can collect with ease.
56: Cole, Maiga and Jarvis are out warming-up. Big Sam must be tempted to make a change or two.
55: I can't lie. Palace are looking like scoring again and, if they do, this game could be over. The home fans are loving it. Palace have another corner. It's cleared.
53: A routine clearance is won in midfield by Jedinak and his header finds Jerome completely clean through. He should score, but Jaaskelainen is out to make a fine save diving to his left.
52: The corner from Bannan is cleared back to him again. He crosses and Dikcagoi heads over when completely unmarked eight yards out.
51: Wow! Jedinak's long ball catches out Tomkins and Jaaskelainen is in no-man's land. Jerome holds the ball up and squares for Chamakh, who finds Puncheon, whose shot deflects off Tomkins and Jaaskelain goes full-length to tip it wide!
50: O'Brien into space down the right. He checks and finds Downing, who squares for Noble and then onto Morrison. He spreads play left for Diame, who cuts inside Ward and blasts his shot high and wide of the far post.
48: West Ham attack for the first time since half-time. Diame cannot quite open up space to cross himself, so he feeds Rat. The Romanian's first delivery is blocked and second curls away for a goal kick.
46: West Ham get he second half underway.
Half-time score - Crystal Palace 1-0 West Ham United
48: Half-time. Join us in 15 minutes for the re-start.
46: Into added time and Palace now look a lot more confident when they go about their work. Two minutes of added time will be played. West Ham threaten and Diame's cross finds Downing, who controls and sees his goal-bound volley blocked wide by Delaney. Good defending. Speroni punches the Noble corner clear.
44: Cole is penalised for a foul inside the Palace penalty area. I'm not 100 per cent sure who should have been marking Chamakh, but whoever it was nowhere near the Moroccan. From nowhere, Palace have a lead their attacking play has scarcely merited. West Ham have it all to do.
42: Goal! They won't be content now as Palace lead through Chamakh. They have carried no threat whatsoever for the last 30 minutes. The corner is cleared back to Bannan, who crosses left-footed for the former Hammer, who is completely unmarked and nods down past the helpless Jaaskelainen.
41: West Ham will be content with the scoreline away from home, but now they have a corner to defend as Ward's shot from 25 yards hits Tomkins and spins away.
38: West Ham still controlling the territory and now they have another set piece as Noble controls and is fouled by Puncheon. The free-kick is taken short to Morrison, whose shot is charged down. The ball falls to Downing, who crosses with his left foot. Diame wins it, but flicks his header over the crossbar.
35: Cole gets goalside of his man using his strength. The angle is against the big man, though and he has to cross for Downing rather than shoot. Unfortunately, the two defenders in between mean Downing is surprised when the ball reaches him and his touch is a bit loose. Moxey hacks clear for a throw. Unlucky. Good play from Cole.
34: The stats after 30 minutes showed West Ham had enjoyed 54 per cent of the ball. That figure has been on the rise, too. It's three shots each, though.
31: Another training ground special as Noble lofts the ball over the wall for Nolan. The captain is free, but doesn't connect and the volley bounces harmlessly into the hands of Speroni. Big Sam has his head in his hands. What a chance! He had time to control that, too.
30: Morrison and Noble combine to rob Jedinak in midfield. Morrison gets free of the Australian and is brought down by a hesitant Delaney. Yellow card. Free-kick 30 yards out.
27: Collins intercepts a Bannan pass and finds Downing goalside of Moxey. He runs to the byline and his cross goes behind off the covering Jedinak. Downing's corner is aimed at Tomkins, who battles two defenders. Appeals for handball from both sets of players before the ball deflects off Diame for a Palace throw on the far side. Nothing given by Mr Mason. Palace throw.
25: Morrison wins a free-kick just inside the Palace half. Noble clips it into the near post area for Nolan, who controls and spins a cross inside, but a red and blue shirt is there to clear.
22: Another offside flag, this time against Nolan from Downing's cross. Again, it is touch and go, but I might give the assistant that one. It would have been a corner otherwise as Delaney headed behind.
21: Are West Ham getting hold of this game? Some probing ends with Diame beating his man Ward but losing control as he enters the box. He keeps possession and finds Morrison, who tries a nifty trick but is crowded out. The Hammers are certainly on top in terms of possession and territory.
20: O'Brien brings the ball forward after some patient build-up. Noble is in the centre of the pitch and he finds Nolan, who controls and plays the ball in behind for Cole. The No24 is flagged offside but Speroni gets there first anyway.
17: Noble's pass finds Downing after a slip by Moxey. Downing's initial corner is cleared but Noble finds Downing again, a bit fortunately. The winger crosses again and this time the ball drops to Cole. He finds Nolan, who lays back for Rat, but the Romanian's effort from the corner of the box is never threatening the goal.
15: The home side are growing in confidence as Jedinak gets away from Morrison and makes 20 yards before spreading play left to Puncheon. He shoots low and firm and Jaaskelainen gets his body behind it and holds on.
14: Palace have another attack and the ball is worked wide right to Bannan in space. The Scot opts to cut inside and try an audacious curler that easily clears the angle of post and crossbar.
13: Puncheon buys a free-kick from Rat by opting not to jump for a header. This one is pumped into the box and Collins heads clear as far as Jedinak, whose left-foot volley is a shocker.
10: Gabbidon is left clutching his head after an accidental clash with Delaney. The incident came after Cole was wrongly flagged for offside before heading Downing's cross along the edge of the six-yard box. Delaney needs the physio on for a knock to his right shoulder.
9: Cole wins a flick-on and the ball drops to Nolan momentarily. His touch unfortunately lets him down and Palace are able to scramble the ball away, despite Moxey's initial clearance hitting Downing.
7: Jedinak and Dikcagoi combine before the ball breaks to Puncheon. He squares into the centre of the pitch but the ball left for Moxey from Chamakh is cut out by Downing. Alert play from the winger. He lays back and Jaaskelainen clears.
6: Puncheon wins a throw off Nolan. Ward takes and receives the pass back before crossing, but Jaaskelainen shows fine handling on the bounce to collect.
5: Another ball over the top from deep, this time for Cole to chase, but Gabbidon is there and nods back to his goalkeeper with the minimum of fuss. No pattern to the game at all, yet.
4: The game still hasn't settled down. West Ham crowd out Bannan in midfield and Noble turns away from Dikcagoi, but his ball over Moxey for Downing is a couple of yards too strong. Goal kick.
2: It's been a bit direct in the early going, if I'm honest! Collins hacks out for a throw and Palace are going to lob this into the box. Collins heads clear.
8pm - We're off an running. The atmosphere is jumping, as you'd expect considering it's a London derby and Palace are back in the big time.
7.56pm - Here come the two teams. Crystal Palace are in their home kit, while West Ham are in their away strip of white shirts, sky blue shorts and white socks. Palace will kick-off...
7.53pm - Just before we start, if you get the chance, watch Big Sam on the Footballers' Football Show on SkySports.com. It's a fascinating conversation about the use of statistics and performance analysis in football. Very illuminating and gives an insight into how our manager goes about his work. You can save that until 10pm, though!
7.50pm - We've been out and about taking some more photos for your entertainment. These will be published on our social media platforms soon. In the meantime, the two squads have headed back indoors to the relative warmth of their dressing rooms. The finishing drill the Hammers just took part in was sharp. Let's hope the lads can hit the target again in about ten minutes' time. There are about 2,600 West Ham fans here tonight and they are sat over in the far corner from us. I must confess my view is a little restricted, but I'll do my best to keep you accurately updated!
7.30pm - The two squads are out to warm-up on the pitch. You can view exclusive video and images from Selhurst Park now on our social media platforms. The links can be found just above where you are reading now.
7.17pm - Big calls from Big Sam, who hinted he might make changes for West Ham's second game in four days. Joey O'Brien will be eager to impress in his first-choice position of right-back, while Razvan Rat has returned two weeks after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty with Romania. Carlton Cole makes his first league start since the goalless draw at Liverpool on 7 April.
7.03pm - The team news has been confirmed. Four changes for West Ham, with O'Brien, Rat, Morrison and Carlton Cole replacing Demel, McCartney, Jarvis and Maiga. All four of the players who have dropped out of the starting XI are named on the bench. Palace are unchanged from Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Norwich, with former Hammer Danny Gabbidon at centre-back.
West Ham United: Jaaskelainen, O'Brien, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Noble, Nolan (c), Morrison, Downing, Diame, C.Cole
Subs: Adrian, McCartney, Jarvis, Maiga, Demel, J.Cole, Collison
Crystal Palace: Speroni, Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Moxey, Jedinak (c), Dikgacoi, Bannan, Puncheon, Chamakh, Jerome
Subs: Price, Mariappa, O'Keefe, Williams, Kebe, Gayle, Philiips
Good evening and welcome to a chilly Selhurst Park for tonight's Barclays Premier League fixture between Crystal Palace and West Ham United.
The Hammers arrive in south London full of confidence following a 3-0 home win over Fulham on Saturday and are hoping to record back-to-back league wins for the first time this season.
Sam Allardyce has plenty of options, with Joe Cole, Carlton Cole and Ravel Morrison all pushing for starts after making positive impacts as substitutes against the Cottagers. The two Coles scored, while Morrison produced a virtuoso display which climaxed in an assist for Joe Cole's goal.
Should the Hammers win by two clear goals in front of the live BT Sport cameras, they will rise to eleventh in the standings. A 1-0 or 2-1 win would put West Ham up to 12th. A draw would see Big Sam's men rise one place to 14th.
Defence could be key to West Ham's chances of success. The Hammers have kept a division-best seven clean sheets in 13 games, including four in six away league matches. Big Sam's men have conceded just four goals in six away games - the best in the Barclays Premier League.
The Eagles, meanwhile, will be hoping for lift-off in what is new manager Tony Pulis' first home game in charge since replacing Ian Holloway. Palace lost narrowly 1-0 at Norwich City on Saturday and Pulis may be tempted to name the same team which started at Carrow Road.
The Welshman will be without striker Glenn Murray (knee), full-back Jack Hunt (ankle), centre-back Paddy McCarthy (groin) and midfielder Adlene Guedioura (rib), but young midfielder Jonny Williams could be fit to return to action.
A Palace victory would lift them off the bottom of the table, but they would remain in the relegation zone, whatever the final score. The Eagles have scored just seven goals in 13 league matches so far.
West Ham have not won on any of their previous four visits to Selhurst Park dating back to 17 September 1991, when Mitchell Thomas, Mike Small and Trevor Morley scored in a 3-2 First Division victory. Big Sam's only previous visit as West Ham boss ended 2-2 in the Championship on 1 October 2011, when Kevin Nolan and John Carew were in the goals.
We will have tonight's team news at just after 7pm. Before then, why not enter one of our two matchday competitions on Twitter - #WHULINEUP and #WHUGOAL