West Ham 0-2 Crystal Palace: Jean-Philippe Mateta's strikes inflict first league defeat on Graham Potter as 10-men Hammers are well beaten
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What would Graham Potter give for a striker like Jean-Phillippe Mateta?. As the new West Ham boss once again started without a recognised front man on the pitch while his bosses thrash about trying to sign one in this month, it was the Palace assassin who put on a masterclass of high-quality centre-forward play.
![[Mateta scored his second from the penalty spot as Palace earned a deserved 2-0 win]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/18/17/94243641-14299907-image-a-17_1737220244453.jpg)
Mateta scored both goals at the London Stadium, one from the penalty spot, to make it four in his last three outings and wrap up this most straightforward of victories. Not only did he almost set up substitute Eddie Nketiah for another with a splitting through ball, he also drew both fouls from Konstantinos Mavropanos that earned the West Ham defender two yellow cards and an early bath. How Potter must long for a focal point like that.
![[Graham Potter was helpless as he slipped to a first league defeat as Hammers manager]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/18/17/94243647-14299907-image-a-18_1737220246933.jpg)
For this was only his second league game and the Hammers was still tweaking and tinkering. He started against Fulham with four central midfielders and no strikers and, for Palace, he switched to a back three to match the Eagles’ system – again, no striker.
Maybe that was why hardly anything happened in the first half. Maybe this was just the case of two run-of-the-mill mid-table sides playing the same formation, locked in stalemate and cancelling the other out. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored twice as Crystal Palace earned a 2-0 victory over West Ham.
Mateta scored his second from the penalty spot as Palace earned a deserved 2-0 win. Graham Potter was helpless as he slipped to a first league defeat as Hammers manager. Maybe some people would describe the first 45 minutes as an ‘intriguing tactical battle’. Those people need to get out more.
