Rice goes from hero to zero as Palace burst bubble
HOW quickly bubbles can burst. How quickly the conductor of one of the finest team goals of the season can become the architect of a devastating downfall.
Declan Rice is already the darling of east London. The West Ham faithful need no invitation to toast their young midfield general.
There was little they could do but marvel last night, though, when Rice orchestrated a 70-yard move that tore Crystal Palace apart and put Manuel Pellegrini’s side on course for another three points.
Sebastien Haller’s name will remain on the scoresheet for evermore but none of the near60,000 here will forget how West Ham swept from one end to the other with such devastation. Within five minutes, however, the life was sucked out of the London Stadium for the home fans. Again, it was Rice at the centre of things. This time, though, the midfielder was the fall-guy.
It was his stray arm that gifted Palace a penalty and invited Patrick van Aanholt to level the scores. That was how it remained until the final few minutes, when Palace stole the points through Jordan Ayew’s late goal, awarded after a long consultation with VAR.
The striker turned home Martin Kelly’s header but the goal was originally ruled out for offside. Out came the rulers as the officials checked not one but two razor-tight calls. Eventually the goal was given and Palace were celebrating a win they barely deserved.
‘Everything today went against us,’ West Ham captain Mark Noble said to Sky Sports. ‘I’m not sure about the handball [which led to Palace’s penalty] and the offside decision for their second goal was millimetres.’
Pellegrini echoed those sentiments. ‘It was an unnecessary penalty and a decision from the VAR that cost us the game,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘When Rice goes to the ball maybe he should keep his arms down. It’s a tough feeling.’
In reality West Ham can have few complaints, though. They had the game in their hands — and more than enough chances to score before Haller’s opener.
Instead, they tasted defeat for the first time in seven games. They could have been out of sight in the first half.
For much of the opening stages they were ponderous but with one smart run and one sharp pass, they came alive.
The in-form Andriy Yarmolenko was found by Noble and inside the area Haller waited unmarked. Yarmolenko slid the ball across goal but from point-blank range, Haller’s shot cannoned off Vicente Guaita to
safety. Suddenly the game had life — the home crowd were roused and Palace were forced to respond, too.
Shortly before the break Wilfried Zaha turned Aaron Cresswell too easily inside the area and put the ball on a plate for Jeffrey Schlupp.
A few yards out with the goal gaping, however, Schlupp scuffed his shot, allowing Ryan Fredericks to scramble back and clear off the line.
Back came West Ham. Guaita reacted quickly to prevent a comical own-goal and then, with almost the last touch of the half, Manuel Lanzini curled wide from just inside the area.
Shortly after the break Angelo Ogbonna fired over from close range but soon those misses were the furthest thing from West Ham minds. The move began deep in their territory, with Cresswell, Anderson and Rice flirting with danger as they passed around a hunting pack of Palace players.
But they found a way out and from there, West Ham were simply too slick. Rice fired the ball forward to Noble, who picked out the onrushing Anderson down the left-hand side. He did well under pressure to keep the ball and find Lanzini. Across it went to Rice, to Yarmolenko and finally out to Fredericks, whose low cross was turned home by Haller.
Ten passes, 28 seconds. Crystal Palace were bamboozled and seemingly on course to continue their miserable recent record against the Hammers.
But then came Rice’s moment to forget. It was Cheikhou Kouyate’s hooked cross that struck the midfielder’s arm.
Rice protested his innocence but Michael Oliver was in no doubt. Nor was VAR. Van Aanholt sent Roberto the wrong way to set up a tantalising finish.
Most of those passed without incident, until Kelly rose highest to feed Ayew. The London Stadium stood still for several minutes, and then emptied almost as quickly, as West Ham’s fate was sealed.