Defensive lapses prove costly at Palace

Crystal Palace 4 West Ham 3 

The kick-off is delayed by 15 minutes thanks to dodgy season ticket readers and in the first half it seems West Ham's defence might have failed to get in too. It's another goal in the first 15 minutes for the Irons when Olise heads a corner across his own box and Soucek slams home for his first league goal since August.

But then there's a defensive collapse. Zouma isn't quite tight enough on Ayew who slots home with a good finish. Kurt is injured trying to tackle and goes off to be replaced by Ogbonna. While the defence is regrouping a cross from Emerson's flank isn't cut out and Zaha mishits home having got away from Coufal at the far post. 

The Hammers just can't cope with the flair of Eze, Olise and Zaha, aided by the team play of Ayew, and concede a catastrophic third. Aguerd foolishly gives the ball to Soucek in a dangerous position. Tomas has his pocket picked by Schlupp, who calmly slots it past Fabianski.

At least the Irons keep at it and pull one back from another corner. Soucek flicks on and Antonio heads in at the back stick. 

At the break Moyes brings on Benrahma and Cresswell for Fornals and Emerson, though the Hammers never get any passing going in midfield and the extra day's rest Palace have had proves crucial. Palace go 4-2 up with a dodgy penalty scored by Eze. Aguerd's arm was out but he barely touched Eze.

West Ham only ever look like scoring from a corner and sure enough, Soucek gets his head to another corner and his looping header is just about turned in by Aguerd. An eventful afternoon for Tomas who has scored one goal and made three assists, two for West Ham and one for Palace. 

We have eight minutes of added time, but Palace deserve the points and Benrahma's final wayward cross sums up the afternoon. Very disappointing to score three goals away from home and lose. Assuming we lose at City, WHU need to get something from the Man United game now.

Hammers unlucky to lose amid VAR controversy

West Ham 1 Liverpool 2

At the London Stadium Nigel is enjoying listening to The Trooper by Iron Maiden and is still in disbelief that his new digital season ticket is actually working. He's with Big Sam, the son of CQ's oldest friend, and we're joined by Matt, Lisa and Fraser.

Early on Alisson, whose aim is not true, passes straight to Bowen and his cross almost finds Antonio, while Salah has a shot blocked at the other end. The Hammers take the lead with a fine goal. It starts with some great control from Benrahma and then sees an intricate one-two between Antonio and Paqueta before the Brazilian unleashes a screamer from the edge of the box. Now that looks like the work of a £50m player and underlines Paqueta's recent improvement. 

The crowd is full of noise and positivity and it looks like we might upset the Scousers. They are pinging it around well though, with Alexander-Arnold in central midfield much of the time. It's Trent who finds Gakpo 25 yards from goal. He's not closed down quickly enough and fires a hard low shot in off the post.

Jota goes close with couple of chances for Liverpool but West Ham match them. With Henderson filling in at right-back at times, Antonio causes him problems. Benrahma gets down the left to cross across the box and only a last-ditch intervention from Van Dijk prevents Antonio from scoring. From the corner Rice wins the first header but Antonio can't direct the second header on target. 

The second half sees the Irons apparently take the lead. A great through ball from Aguerd releases Bowen who races into box, stands up Van Dijk, and with very little backlift fires into the net. Only sodding VAR intervenes and he's offside by a boot. This proves costly as West Ham's zonal marking at a corner is all wrong and Matip crashes home a free header.

West Ham make a determined effort to equalise and the key moment is when Thiago tries to tackle sub Danny Ings and falls on the ball with his hand. Astonishingly ref Chris Kavanagh doesn't even consult VAR. Moyes gives the officials his Glasgow death stare and later makes a valid point that if the defender lunges in and is out of control it should be a penalty even if the handball was accidental.

There's still time for the Vicar's Son to berate subs Ings for bottling a challenge with Alisson and Cornet for being Cornet, before Liverpool end up winning their third game in succession. They looked more like the Liverpool of old tonight, so it's no disgrace to lose to them. Its been an entertaining match, Aguerd had made some great interceptions and Paqueta has looked like he's now a PL force, so there are reasons for optimism.

We head off to Ye Olde Black Bull, where an angry and shouty punter has to be ejected - and  it's not David Moyes. Arsenal are getting battered on the TV as Nigel and Matt engage in some competitive groundhopping tales and discuss players with palindromic names like Eze. The Brixton Pale Ale is a bonus, though once we see the replay of Thiago's handball it's back to berating officialdom. Still, on this form we should hopefully get some survival points from the next six games.

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 6, Zouma 7, Aguerd 7, Cresswell 6; Rice 7, Soucek 6, Benrahma 7 (Cornet 5), Paqueta 8; Bowen 7, Antonio 6 (Ings 5).

First trophy of the season!

Arsenal 1 West Ham United 5 (FA Youth Cup Final)

A very enjoyable trip to the Emirates, and all for a fiver. And what a turnout from 7000 WHU fans for this under-18 final, watched by 34,000 fans. I'm with daughter Nell and a couple of rows behind diehards Matt and Lisa. The Hammers line-up includes Divin Mubama and Ollie Scarles who have both played for the first team this season. 

Keeper Mason Terry has to make a great save from a free kick early on, and Arsenal take the lead when Benjamin finishes well after a Terry save falls to him on the edge of the box. But this young West Ham side don't seem to realise they are meant to regularly lose at the Emirates. George Earthy makes a forceful run from midfield, gets a slightly lucky rebound, and scores with a thumping shot. A few minutes later Callum Marshall gets on the end of an inviting cross to make it 2-1.

The half ends on a high as captain Gideon Kodua pounces on some defensive dithering to score with an excellent 30-yard chip over the keeper. It's quiet in the Library, apart from in the West Ham end where the chants juke box is going through Bubbles, "West Ham are Massive!" and  the Ludek Miklosko and Frank Lampard songs.

The second half sees sustained Arsenal pressure, thwarted by determined blocks from Casey and co and some fine saves from Terry. Having soaked up the Arsenal onslaught, West Ham win a corner when Earthy's shot is saved. Kaelan Casey heads home from the set piece. It's five when sub Joshua Briggs scores with his first shot. A chant of "You're getting sacked in the morning!" is cheekily directed at Gunners boss Jack Wilshere. 

At the end the PA is forced to play Bubbles and it's moving to see these young players celebrate the best moment of their fledgling careers. Gaffer Kevin Keen comes on the pitch and gets a deserved chant from the fans. And then there's the unexpected sight of a West Ham team lifting a trophy.

It's too early to say whether any of this group will emulate 1999 FA Youth Cup winners Michael Carrick and Joe Cole, but on this showing the Irons have some great prospects coming up. And it's not often we win 5-1 at the Emirates. Come on you Irons!

Oh what fun it is to see West Ham win away!

Bournemouth 0 West Ham 4 (four)

For once it's an enjoyable experience listening to a West Ham away game on Radio London. It's a perfect start after five minutes when a loosely-marked Antonio heads home Cresswell's corner. It gets even better after 12 minutes when Coufal crosses and Paqueta heads home. What we didn't expect from the Brazilian was bullet headers and tough tackling, but that's what we are getting as he continues to adapt to the English league. 

Meanwhile the stat that Nigel has repeated all season about us being the only team never to have scored in the first 15 minutes has been well and truly busted. Bournemouth have a good spell where Lerma and Solanke test Fabianski, but the game is over just before half-time when another corner drops to Rice who smashes it home. Blimey. At half-time an Emergency beep sounds on my phone, presumably from Spurs who have let in five in 21 minutes at Newcastle. 

The second half sees West Ham containing the Cherries before Bowen crosses and Fornals scores with a brilliant scorpion-kick. He's in tears after scoring, presumably in shock at West Ham scoring four goals away from home. "Are you Tottenham in disguise?" ask the Irons fans, followed by a request to Declan for "one more year",  Another sub Maxwel Cornet scores a fifth 'goal' only to be correctly ruled offside.

The side have taken a lot of confidence from the draw against Arsenal and the win against Gent and this is quite an achievement after Thursday's exertions with mainly the same players - and against a Bournemouth side that was going well under Gary O'Neil. From 0-4 at Brighton to 4-0 at Bournemouth. This sees us almost out of the relegation dogfight and another win should see us completely safe. Irons!

Into the semis as Hammers demolish Gent

West Ham 4 KAA Gent 1 (Europa Conference League)

It's a welcome respite from battling for points as European football returns to the London Stadium. I'm joined by Nigel and CQ, Fraser and Sinead (wearing a half and half scarf that is the envy of Nigel) and Matt and Lisa. Michael is away spending more time with his West Ham cushions at the White Bear. 

Moyes has picked a strong side, sensing that winning the Europa Conference is the best way of keeping his job. West Ham start brightly with Emerson testing the keeper but soon start to look nervous as Orban misses a close range-header for Genk. Coufal goes down after a worrying clash of heads but eventually RoboCop plays on. 

The Belgians play some neat football in front of their bouncing away crew and take the lead after a series of errors. Paqueta gives away a simple ball in midfield. Orban scuffs over a cross, Samoise mishits it to Cuypers, who also scuffs his shot, which is chested over his own line by Aguerd when he should surely have headed the ball away.

The Gent fans start to flash their mobiles in the fashion of a  Killers concert. It looks worrying until West Ham win a free kick on the right, Bowen whips it in and Antonio gets across his marker to power home a header. 

At half-time Mystic Matt says we've played three halves against Gent and looked worse in all of them and he can see us losing. A quick straw poll sees Nigel predicting a home defeat, Fraser opting for penalties and optimists Lisa and myself going for 3-2 and 2-1 wins. 

But we have reckoned without the power of confectionary. Nigel eschews eating his lucky banana but Sinead's lucky gums soon work some magic. West Ham start the second half with purpose. Soucek clatters Bowen's cross against the angle of post and bar and Jarrod draws a good safe from Roef.

RICE BABY

The key moment comes when defender Okumu stumbles with his hand hitting the ball for an obvious penalty. Strangely the ref waves play on and Antonio hits the post. After a long melee eventually VAR is called upon and after several millennia the penalty is given. For some reason Benrahma doesn't take it. Instead Lucas Paqueta takes a stuttering run-up, does a little hop skip and jump and steers it past Roef having sent him the wrong way. 

That was cool, though we all imagine how irate DC (who is still trying to forgive Di Canio for his poncy penalty against Villa 20-odd years ago) would have been had he missed. The away fans are taunted by the rest of the stadium turning on their phone torches and waving them in the air. You're not flashing anymore.

Something is stirring as the crowd gets noisy. Declan Rice wins a tackle in his own half, gets the ball back from Paqueta and rampages down the pitch. Antonio has distracted a couple of defenders and Declan shimmies round a couple more, runs into the box and steers home a low left foot shot. David Moyes does a dad dance in celebration of a fantastic goal. For the first time in ages, "West Ham are massive!" echoes around the London Stadium.

YOU BLOW MY MIND, HEY MICKY

We are intimidating the Genk defence more effectively than Dominic Raab. Three minutes later Paqueta feeds Antonio who runs at the Genk defence down the left channel. He cuts inside and curls a corker into the top of the net. As Matt says, if Antonio hadn't scored the first goal he wouldn't have got the second. This was what a confident Antonio can do, much more like the striker of two years go.

There's still time for Bowen to have a fifth goal disallowed and Matt to come out with some ungodly language as sub Cornet fluffs a chance when set free. Rice, Zouma and Antonio go off with Bournemouth in mind as the Irons cruise to their second European semi-final in two seasons. It's not as good as the Europa League, but after 43 years we'll take any trophy going.

We retire to Ye Old Black Bull for a pint of Ringwood Razor Back as we watch Maguire and De Gea mess up for Man United in Seville. Maybe our run will get some more attention now United are out of Europe. Walking to the tube we wonder if West Ham could join the Europa Conference full-time instead of the Premier League and develop a fierce rivalry with Larnaca, Gent and AZ Alkmaar. 

We should beat the fourth best team in the Belgium league on money spent, but this was still one of the best nights of the season and more like the old West Ham. Hopefully it will also inspire confidence for the six-pointer at Bournemouth. Irons!

PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Coufal 6, Aguerd 5, Zouma 6 (Kehrer 5), Emerson 6; Rice 8 (Downes 5), Soucek 6, Paqueta 7, Benrahma 6 (Fornals 5); Bowen 7 (Cornet 5), Antonio 8 (Ings 5).  

Bowen earns battling point against Gunners

West Ham 2 Arsenal 2

Arriving at Hackney Wick having bagged my 214th Wainwright fell there's a feeling we might upset Arsenal today. Matty Etherington is on the pitch pre-match (no, he didn't bet on the Grand National) and I'm joined by Matt, Lisa, Nigel, Fraser and Michael at a spring-like London Stadium.

But it all seems to be going wrong after ten minutes as another Newcastle-style thrashing beckons. First White gets behind the home defence to cross for Jesus to tap home. Match of the Day 2 fingers Benrahma for not tracking back but Cresswell, Kehrer and Coufal are also caught off-guard. It's two when Martinelli plays in a teasing cross for the unmarked Odegaard to drift in and stroke home.

The Arsenal fans get decidedly cocky, singing "You're going down!" and "Are you Tottenham in disguise?" but they don't realise West Ham have a new continental midfielder called Schadenfreude. 

Arsenal ease off and something happens as West Ham remember to compete. The Gunners' defenders don't like it when Antonio runs at them. On 33 minutes WHU are back in it. Rice dispossesses a dawdling Partey and feeds Paqueta. Lucas feels contact from Gabriel and goes down in the box to win a penalty. Benrahma sends Ramsdale the wrong way from the spot.

The crowd is ignited again as Benrahma makes a storming run from his own half to win a free kick. Antonio heads the resulting cross into the ground and Ramsey has to tip the bouncing ball over. Jesus starts to lose his cool and gets petulant. The Irons play a lot better and Arsenal start to look worried. At half-time we ban Nigel from eating his lucky banana as it's all to play for at 1-2 down.

The Irons win a couple of early corners but then the game seems over as Antonio turns his back on the ball in his own box and the ball strikes his hand. Penalty to the Arsenal. Saka takes a short run-up and strikes the ball somewhere towards the River Lea, to much derision from the Hammers' fans.

YOU'RE NOT SINGING ANYMORE!

That inspires both the crowd and Hammers' players. Kehrer lofts a ball back into the Arsenal box and there is Jarrod Bowen to expertly volley down into the ground and up over a flailing Ramsdale as the stadium erupts. The Gunners fans are not singing anymore.

It's turned into a really good game that could go either way. Coufal has a fine match and makes one great tackle on Martinelli, while Paqueta is busy and effective in midfield and Antonio and Bowen are causing all sorts of problems running at the Arsenal back-line. 

Arsenal go close when Jesus just fails to connect with a cross and Bowen does really well to head away a dangerous Saka cross from on the line. Saka can only shoot straight at Fabianski when released after a poor Paqueta pass. Benrahma shows fine determination to outmuscle Holding and get in a swinging cross that Antonio heads against the angle of post and bar. So nearly a famous comeback from 2-0 down.

We have five minutes of nervous added time to get through as "Come on you Irons!" booms around the stadium, but ultimately it's a great bonus point that gives Man City the upper hand in the title race, at least until we win at the Etihad. 

We head off to the Eagle in jovial mood as we watch Forest lose and Nigel tells us about his forthcoming Zombies gig and how Colin Blunstone quit music for a couple of years to become an accountant. Matt receives preferential treatment as he is presented with an East London Pale Ale from the mysterious contents of the Eagle's fridge while Michael chats with a heavy-metal fan of his work at the bar and Fraser celebrates the survival of Moyes again with an alcohol-free Guinness.

A satisfying day all round and another win or so should see West Ham survive with the bottom five seeming to be in real trouble. Irons!

PLAYER RATINGS: Fabianski 6; Coufal 8, Zouma 7, Kehrer 6, Cresswell 6; Rice 7, Soucek 6, Benrahma 7 (Fornals n/a), Paqueta 8 (Downes n/a); Antonio 8 (Cornet n/a), Bowen 8.

Ings seals away leg draw

KAA Gent 1 West Ham 1 (Europa Conference League)

Caught this one on BT Sport via my laptop while away in the Lakes. A decent result if not performance. The five man defence plan didn't really work with Emerson looking unsure of his position but thankfully Gent wasted chances in front of a passionate crowd. 

Aguerd had a goal disallowed for handball after a goalkeeping clanger, before the Irons took the lead before the break. A quick throw-in caught out the home defence and from Bowen's cross Danny Ings scored a simple tap-in - his first ever goal in Europe.

The second half saw Gent come at the Hammers and they equalised after the Irons failed to track runners and Cuypers swept home. Bowen missed a decent chance while Gift Orban almost scored for Gent with a great overhead kick. The game ended with a cancelled red card after sub Paqueta was in fact tackled fairly on the edge of the area.

So it's all to play for in the second leg - though Gent look the best side the Irons gave faced so far and it won't be easy.