CAHILL: I CAN PLAY ON FOR YEARS

He may have been almost redundant under Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, but Gary Cahill has found a new lease of life with Crystal Palace. There was a debate about the validity of Palace’s two goals — the award of a penalty for handball against Declan Rice and a marginal VAR offside decision that went the way of Jordan Ayew — but there was no doubt about the deserved nature of a win that could well signal the end of Palace’s seemingly perennial struggle to stay among the elite. They were organised, energetic and adhered to the game plan devised by Roy Hodgson. And at the heart of the resistance was Cahill. Cahill will be 34 in December and was considered too old at Chelsea last season, starting only two league matches. Hodgson admitted Cahill was not immediately on his radar, but when it became clear that neither James Tomkins nor Mamadou Sakho would be ready for the start of the season, Hodgson had no hesitation in making a move. ‘He has been good, as I knew he would be,’ said Hodgson. ‘A great professional.’ Here, Cahill looked as fresh and as commanding as ever. Age may not be in his favour but experience is. He was made captain in the absence of Luka Milivojevic and made it clear that he still has much to offer. ‘It was a proud moment,’ Cahill said. ‘It was a fantastic result against a team who is doing well. ‘I am in good form and good shape and I have many years left in me. I did not play for a few months but looked after myself and came back in good condition. The most important thing is that the team is doing well.’ West Ham defender Ryan Fredericks did not blame VAR for Ayew’s late winner. ‘It is the right decision at the end of the day, but a tight one,’ he said. ‘You are talking about two inches. It cost us the game so we are gutted.’ WEST HAM (4-1-4-1): Roberto 6; Fredericks 6.5, Ogbonna 6, Diop 6, Cresswell 6 (Zabaleta 84min); Rice 6.5; Yarmolenko 7 (Wilshere 78), Lanzini 6 (Fornals 68), Noble 6.5, Anderson 6.5; Haller 7. Subs not used: Martin, Balbuena, Snodgrass, Ajeti. Scorer: Haller 54. Booked: Yarmolenko, Haller, Fredericks. Manager: Manuel Pellegrini 5.5 CRYSTAL PALACE (4-3-3): Guaita 7; Ward 7, Kelly 6.5, CAHILL 7.5, Van Aanholt 6.5; McArthur 6, Kouyate 6, McCarthy 6 (Townsend 81); Zaha 6.5, Ayew 6.5 (Benteke 90), Schlupp 5.5. Subs not used: Hennessey, Tomkins, Dann, Meyer, Camarasa. Scorers: Van Aanholt 63 (pen), Ayew 87. Booked: Ward, Benteke. Manager: Roy Hodgson 7 Referee: Michael Oliver 7. Attendance: 59,912.