Declan Rice admitted that West Ham United fell below their standards as Crystal Palace took a 2-1 victory at London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Saïd Benrahma put the Hammers ahead when the No22 struck twenty minutes into his 100th appearance in Claret and Blue, although Wilfried Zaha equalised shortly before the break.
Ultimately, a late winner from Michael Olise ended West Ham’s seven-game unbeaten run on home soil – it was a strike that came just over ten minutes after the Irons saw an awarded penalty overturned after VAR sent referee Paul Tierney to the pitchside monitor.
Skipper Declan Rice, who also saw a second-half effort drift over the Palace crossbar, was disapointed as the Irons’ penultimate Premier League fixture before the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended in defeat.
“It’s so frustrating,” Rice lamented. “That is not the standards that we set ourselves. And not the standards that people demand of us. It is a disappointing loss today.
“It was from the off; we talk about starting well and starting quick – but we were second to everything today. When we did pass it, we did create chances, but it was not enough to win a Premier League game, for sure.
“Saïd scored a great goal – but I don’t think we attacked their goal enough or got at their back-line enough. That is something that needs to [change].”
In an even London derby, the Hammers broke to push for a winner and had the ball in the Palace box, but in a flash, the ball was in the net at the other end – Olise’s deflected strike taking all three points.
“It is gutting,” Rice added. “You throw everything at it - to get a winner - and it comes back to bite you.
“We tried our hardest, but the deflection took it in. It’s the last kick of the game, so we are gutted.”
