(Football news) West Ham United was eliminated from the Europa League by Bayer Leverkusen midweek, while the Eagles surprised the Kop with a 1-0 victory at Anfield last week.
Few predicted that Crystal Palace would cause Jurgen Klopp’s team any more suffering after Liverpool’s shocking home defeat to Atalanta BC in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal on April 14. The team was expected to respond emphatically to their European setback.
The Eagles’ back-to-back losses to Manchester City and Bournemouth at the start of the month did not stand them in good stead either, but as Liverpool huffed and puffed without success, Palace struck in the 14th minute through Eberechi Eze and held out magnificently.
Palace had tried and failed on 11 occasions to win away from home before stunning the Merseyside giants last Sunday, and on account of their first road success since early November, the Eagles have built up an eight-point lead over the relegation zone in 14th position.
There is still some work for Oliver Glasner’s men to do before they can be assured of their Premier League status for next season, and the Eagles head into the weekend yet to win back-to-back top-flight games this season, last doing so under Roy Hodgson 12 months ago.
Goals have been relatively easy for Palace to come by at their Selhurst Park base, though, as they have netted in 10 of their last 11 Premier League home games – including each of their last eight – and 11 points amassed from their most recent seven fixtures on familiar soil is not to be scoffed at.
Home goals eluded West Ham during last weekend’s Premier League showdown with Fulham, who left the London Stadium with a 2-0 win thanks to an Andreas Pereira double, and David Moyes’s men had Lukasz Fabianski to thank for keeping the scoreline down on that day.
West Ham United were evidently pre-occupied with thoughts of a miraculous Europa League turnaround versus newly-crowned Bundesliga champions Leverkusen, though, and they were on course to reverse their 2-0 quarter-final first-leg deficit thanks to Michail Antonio’s early header in the first half.
Moyes’s side could not find the all-important second, but the Europa Conference League winners were on course for a notable consolation win against a Leverkusen side who had yet to lose in any tournament this term, only for Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected strike to extend the visitors’ record-breaking unbeaten streak.
The Hammers are now solely focused on making it back to Europe via the Premier League, where they are currently ninth after a terrible run of just one victory in their previous six games. Their remaining five games will see them take on all of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
Though their three-game losing streak against Crystal Palace does not inspire confidence, the Irons supporters have cause for optimism this weekend after eight goals scored in their last three Premier League away games; the Eagles held out for a 1-1 London Stadium draw in December following an exciting 4-3 Selhurst Park victory this time last year.
