Match verdict
Irons 3 Palace 0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XsZALK2Iy0
It couldn’t have been better scripted …no Payet – NO PROBLEM…quite the opposite.
After a nervous first half the Irons grabbed their big London Stadium win via sensational overhead scissor kick from Andy Carroll which followed a Feghouli tap in before Manu Lanzini dinked home a magnificent effort.
That ensured the little Argentinian has scored in every game he has played against Palace, that we kept a clean sheet and moved into 12th place.
It was the perfect end to a terrible week and all hearts went out to Slaven Bilic who has seen it out on the front line since revealing that the French midfielder will never again appear in a Hammers shirt.
I wrote before the game that this afternoon could show us our future and we got everything we could have wanted from a bunch of lads who, once the nerves had been overcome, showed themselves to be a squad that will fight every inch of the way.
And we learned we really don’t need a so called superstar. We need what West Ham fans have always demanded – players who will battle their brains out for the cause under a manager who having watched a poor first half display pushed Michail Antonio up as he adopted a 4-4-2 and introduced Sam Byram at right back.
It worked to perfection and sent Sam Allardyce and his team skulking out of our new home completely and totally outclassed.
The confidence that will be gained from this could be incalculable. The Payet era is over. It’s better times ahead and if you will excuse the pun – this was a REUNION of guys who showed how much they cared.
Goodbye Payet and thank you for helping us rediscover ourselves.