Jean-Philippe Mateta Stars as Crystal Palace Defeat West Ham 2-0

Crystal Palace secured a 2-0 win over West Ham United, thanks to a second-half brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta, extending their impressive Premier League form.

Crystal Palace secured a convincing 2-0 victory over London rivals West Ham United, thanks to a second-half brace from Jean-Philippe Mateta. This win extends Palace's impressive Premier League form, with the team having suffered only one defeat in their last 11 matches, earning five wins and five draws in the process.

The Eagles made a strong start to the match, edging a closely contested opening 20 minutes. Mateta was instrumental in Palace's early dominance, and his sharp effort across goal was smartly saved by West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabiański. Despite this reprieve, West Ham struggled to gain a foothold in the contest, with clear-cut chances scarce as Palace's defense remained solid.

As the first half drew to a close, West Ham continued to probe for a breakthrough, but their efforts were in vain. Lucas Paqueta squandered their best opportunity, firing a speculative volley wide of the target. Despite their dominance, Palace were unable to capitalize on their chances in the first half, setting the stage for Mateta's decisive brace in the second half.

Crystal Palace capitalized on West Ham's disjointed display, scoring within two minutes of the restart. Jean-Philippe Mateta latched onto a clever pass from Eberechi Eze and finished low past Lukasz Fabiański from 20 yards, giving the visitors a crucial lead.

With momentum on their side, Palace pushed to double their advantage. On the hour mark, Maxence Lacroix saw his close-range strike thwarted by Fabiański, who made a crucial save to keep West Ham in the game. This near-miss sparked the Hammers into life, but they were unable to capitalize on their newfound momentum. Edson Alvarez drilled a shot wide from 25 yards, prompting frustration from the home crowd.

Mateta's brace gives Crystal Palace the three points 💫#WHUCRY pic.twitter.com/ldnucm7OdZ

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 18, 2025

West Ham's hopes of salvaging a result were dealt a significant blow with 10 minutes remaining. Konstantinos Mavropanos received his second yellow card for a high challenge on Mateta, reducing the Hammers to 10 men. This proved costly, as Palace doubled their lead from the penalty spot late on. Mateta converted the spot-kick after Eddie Nketiah was fouled by Fabiański, securing a well-deserved 2-0 victory for the Eagles.