Battling draw for Hammers in lacklustre game at Palace

Crystal Palace 0 West Ham 0

I'm at my sports book group eating pizza in Kings Cross for the first half of this fixture, while fellow-season ticket holder Nigel is at the theatre, which prompts Mystic Matt to suggest the game has gone. 

In the first half Brennan Johnson sends a free header hopelessly wide and then curls a better effort just past the post. For the Irons Castellanos has an overhead effort blocked on the line by Lacroix. The best chance comes when Diouf curls in a delicious cross and the Greek Bloke meets it with a towering header. Somehow Dean Henderson manages to claw it away with one hand. That would have been Dinos's fourth goal in four games.

For the second half I've made the Mabel Tavern, unfortunately sitting next to a Spurs supporter. It's attritional stuff with both sides breaking without much end product. Bowen and Summerville can't find the final ball, Pedro lumbers around without looking like scoring, as the Palace centre backs look very secure.

One good bit of skill from Jimmy Summerville almost sets Castellanos away only for him to be blocked in the box. When Sarr does get the ball in the net for Palace the goal is correctly disallowed for handball by Mateta. Sub Kante makes a great last-minute burst into the box to win a corner but again it comes to nothing.

So it ends nil-nil and it's two clean sheets in a row. It's not been a fluid performance but the team spirit does seem excellent. Fernandes has been very busy. Disasi and Mavropanos are both very impressive at the back and Diouf gets in some good clearances, with Walker-Peters, keeping AWB out, also doing his bit. Credit to Hermansen too, who has kept another clean sheet.

Earlier this season we would have lost this match so it's not a disaster. A win would have put WHU four points clear of Spurs and you could argue Palace must have been tired after playing in Europe. On the other hand a point away sees us two points ahead of Spurs, so it's as you were. It could be two points dropped though it could also be the point that keeps us up. The next five games will tell as we hit squeaky bum time.