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West Ham limp to home draw after midweek win

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West Ham limped to a draw against Crystal Palace after failing to find their groove on Sunday afternoon. 

Seats emptied towards the end of the game in significant quantities as West Ham struggled to inspire in the draw at the London Stadium.

The two oldest managers came head-to-head in this game and spent most of the second half motionless at the edge of their technical areas as both sets of managers struggled to get their respective sides going. This is despite a wealth of talent and technical quality at their disposal.

West Ham took the lead in the 13th-minute after James Ward-Prowse produced a sweeping cross‑field pass to Vladimir Coufal, whose first-time cross found Mohammed Kudus.

His shot deflected off Marc Guéhi on its way past Johnstone, giving the Hammers a promising start. But David Moyes, despite having three attacking midfielders and two centre-forwards on the bench, and despite the fact West Ham had returned from Serbia on Friday and looked weary, did not make a single change until the 88th minute when Pablo Fornals was belatedly introduced.

The game could have been different from West Ham’s perspective had Konstantinos Mavropanos not gifted Palace their equaliser, but the response will have irked many in the ground.

Who stood out for West Ham?

The defence looked shaky at times but Vladimir Coufal showed the form most know he’s capable of as it feels like he’s reborn as an attacking force. His cross was converted by Kudus, giving Coufal his fifth league assist of the season.

Kudus himself was a bright spark as he started and finished the move he scored from and is seemingly improving with each passing week.

Moyes left his subs far too late to make an impact which was a surprise considering Jarrod Bowen’s obvious lack of sharpness within the game.

Improvement is needed in performances otherwise European football will look unlikely as the season progresses.

David Moyes looks to guide West Ham into European contention against Crystal Palace

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West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates goal against Arsenal

West Ham will be looking for their third straight Premier League win as they come up against Crystal Palace on Sunday. 

It’s a huge game at the London Stadium as West Ham look to gain momentum heading into the festive period of games.

David Moyes’ side risen ninth in the league table, just six points shy of the top four heading gameweek 14. Back-to-back wins against Nottingham Forest and Burnley pushed the Hammers into European contention without being convincing.

A late 3-2 win over Forest in the capital was followed by more last-gasp drama as the Hammers roared back to steal a 2-1 victory over Burnley on Saturday.

Tomás Soucek’s 91st-minute finish proved the difference at Turf Moor after an 86th-minute Dara O’Shea own goal had cancelled out Jay Rodriguez’s penalty, with Mohammed Kudus assisting both West Ham goals.

Soucek has developed a knack for scoring late goals for the Hammers, as his late winner against Forest made him just the fifth player to score in the 86th minute or later in consecutive Premier League games.

Moyes’ side will be confident going into the game against Palace having won in midweek in the Europa League against Backa Topola.

Who’s available for West Ham?

Moyes will potentially be without two key players with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen both still unavailable. Antonio is missing due to a knee injury, but Moyes could have a fit-again Jarrod Bowen in the lineup.

The former Hull City forward missed the Burnley trip due to a knee issue sustained on international duty with England but could return to inflict further misery on Palace having scored eight times in 12 Premier League appearances this term.

West Ham will be hoping for more luck as they struggled in both games against the Eagles last season, listing both sides. This is despite not suffering defeat in their previous 14 games against the South London side prior to the 2022/23 Premier League campaign,

 

Jarrod Bowen pushing to be fit for upcoming West Ham game

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West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates goal against Arsenal

West Ham are hopeful that key player Jarrod Bowen will return from injury for the Premier League clash with Crystal Palace this weekend.

The Hammers left it late to secure a priceless 2-1 victory away to Burnley last Saturday, trailing with minutes remaining but eventually turning the game on its head.

One player who David Moyes had to make do without for the win at Turf Moor was Bowen, who hasn’t featured for West Ham since the 3-2 win at home to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

The 26-year-old was sent back to his club side by England manager Gareth Southgate during the international break, having picked up a knock.

According to a fresh update from Claret & Hugh, however, Bowen could be back in the fold for Sunday’s visit of Palace in the league, as Moyes’ men look to build on their dramatic recent victory:

“Claret and Hugh has been handed a Jarrod Bowen update. The No 20 is improving from his injury but won’t be sufficiently fit to play against Backa Topola in Serbia tomorrow evening (Thurs) in the Group A Europa League game. We were told this morning however that there are high hopes he will be available for the match against Crystal Palace.”

Having Bowen back is absolutely huge for West Ham, with the Englishman becoming one of the first names on the team sheet, and arguably growing even more as a player since Declan Rice departed for Arsenal during the summer transfer window.

The Hammers forward already has eight goals in 12 Premier League appearances this season, highlighting what a reliable source of end product he has been, and his pace, movement and finishing make him one of the most dangerous attacking players in the division at the moment.

It remains to be seen if Bowen will be fit enough to start proceedings against Palace at the London Stadium, but even having him to call upon as a second-half substitute would be great news for West Ham supporters, as they welcome back a huge player ahead of a busy run of fixtures in the Premier League, Europa League and EFL Cup in December.

West Ham take the spoils in unconvincing display in Lancashire

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West Ham were the victors in Lancashire as they came from behind to beat Burnley 2-1 at Turf Moor. 

For large periods, it was yet another unconvincing display from David Moyes’ side but three points nonetheless with obvious areas of improvement needed.

This was a good win on paper considering the reduced options in the final third for Moyes heading into the game. Both Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen picked up injuries during the international break, with Danny Ings grabbing his first start of the season against his former club.

However, West Ham lacked any threat in the final third, with Lucas Paquetá occasionally offering some skill but without an end product showing a desperate need for ingenuity in the final third.

The first 45 minutes was particularly disappointing for the Hammers, with Burnley enjoying themselves without grabbing the elusive second goal. In fact, Burnley looked like the side pushing for a top-half finish compared to West Ham who have aspirations of maintaining their European success. With performances like this though, that will be difficult.

Who stood out for West Ham?

Mohammed Kudus is an obvious candidate considering the role he played in the game as a whole. He provided the cross for the Dara O’Shea own goal before crossing for the Tomas Soucek winner after giving away the penalty for the Burnley opener.

He added that much-needed quality in the final third when he was in the game and hopefully will lead to more consistent performances from the former Ajax man.

Kurt Zouma impressed in defence as he was kept busy by a productive Burnley side in the first half as they looked to stem the waves of attacks.

Edson Alvarez controlled the tempo of the game as West Ham wrestled back control in the second half as he continued his good form at club level. Divin Mubama deserves a shout considering he offered so much more than Ings in attack.

Burnley vs West Ham: The Preview

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West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates goal against Arsenal

West Ham head to Burnley on Saturday looking to pick their season back up after a few bumpy performances. 

They come up against a rock-bottom Burnley side which should give them confidence considering the balance of the two sides.

However, to consider them heavy favourites would be naive considering the away form under David Moyes. West Ham have lost seven of their last 10 Premier League games, conceding twice in each of the defeats.

Since the start of last season, only Nottingham Forest (18) have lost more matches on the road than their 16 away defeats. David Moyes’ side have at least impressed against promoted sides, winning their last seven such games, while they also have 10 straight victories against teams who start the day bottom of the table.

West Ham Team News

West Ham look set to be without several key players which could give Burnley confidence in the game at Turf Moor.

Forward Jarrod Bowen is a major doubt after withdrawing from the England squad with a knee issue. Fellow striker Michail Antonio has been ruled out after suffering his own knee injury while playing for Jamaica with the international break not proving kind to Moyes and West Ham.

Considering Bowen as been directly involved in 11 goals in his last 13 Premier League starts, that’s a huge miss from an attacking perspective for the Hammers.

Who can replace Bowen?

It could well be a game that West Ham need to grind out considering the reduced attacking options at their disposal.

Bowen is a significant player for Moyes and has scored important goals for the club. But there is added quality in the squad compared to previous years with Said Benrahma proving a useful member of the squad.

James Ward-Prowse’ quality from set pieces will be an important asset when options in the final third are lacking. He’s registered nine assists in all competitions which shows his danger in delivery.

Mohammed Kudus is yet to show his best form in a West Ham shirt and this could be the game that sees his career in East London ignite.