A stunning Tyrick Mitchell volley earned Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory away at West Ham United to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches and increase the pressure on Graham Potter.
A lacklustre first half saw little in the way of chances, but Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring with a header from a corner.
Despite barely threatening before half-time, the Hammers started the second half quickly, with the unmarked Jarrod Bowen glancing home from an El Hadji Malick Diouf delivery early on.
But Palace fought their way back in front in the 68th minute as Mitchell fired in a volley with his weaker foot after West Ham failed to properly deal with a cross into the box.
The Hammers remain 18th in the table with three points from their opening five matches, while unbeaten Palace move up to fourth, with nine points.
How the match unfolded
The first clear-cut opportunity of the match arrived in the 32nd minute as Daichi Kamada failed to direct his header on target after being set up by Yeremy Pino.
Palace continued to push, with Pino’s goal-bound shot deflected out for a corner, a set-piece from which the visitors took the lead in the 37th minute. Mateta bundled a header over the line after Marc Guehi’s effort had clipped the crossbar, with West Ham unable to deal with the initial danger in the box.
Palace were close to adding a second just 66 seconds into the second half, as the unmarked Maxence Lacroix rattled the crossbar with a thumping header.
They were made to pay for that miss two minutes later, as poor defending saw Bowen guide a header home to draw the hosts level after a delightful corner-kick from Diouf.
West Ham’s momentum was short-lived, though, as Mitchell guided home a brilliant volley from inside the area, although Palace failed to add to their tally late on, with Justin Devenny curling just over the bar late on.
Familiar failings hurt West Ham
Potter made a bold choice before the match, with Alphonse Areola drafted in between the sticks to replace Mads Hermansen, who had been under pressure during the early weeks of the season.
Tomas Soucek’s suspension resulted in Mateus Fernandes dropping into a deeper position, and his energy and legs initially allowed West Ham to get a foothold in the game and limit the threat of being overrun.
Despite flashes of promise, they were hamstrung by a familiar problem as a failure to defend set-pieces saw the Hammers go behind once again, which only further added to the frustrated atmosphere inside London Stadium.
Their inability to deal with crosses then led to them almost falling behind just over a minute after half-time, but fortunately for Potter and the Hammers, they were spared by the woodwork.
They were back in it through the indispensable Bowen, but it was ultimately not enough as their defensive fragilities returned, consigning them to yet another defeat.
With the pressure mounting on Potter, he now turns his attention on a trip to Everton a week on Monday.
Palace continue to impress in unbeaten start
Oliver Glasner was not too disheartened by Palace’s 0-0 draw with promoted Sunderland last week, despite his side missing a host of opportunities during the latter stages of the match.
This week, he was boosted by the return of midfielder Adam Wharton, who had been missing for the past three weeks through injury, but his overall impact was limited during the first half as Palace failed to gain the upper hand.
They did improve as the half drew to a close, with Pino impressing before they took the lead. Mateta highlighted his poacher instincts to find the net from close range and put Glasner’s men in control.
Despite their impressive defensive record, they conceded a sloppy goal as Bowen was left completely unmarked at the near post to head home the equaliser.
But it was from the most unlikely of sources in Mitchell who restored their lead, with a striker’s finish at the far post to ensure Glasner and his men would extend their impressive unbeaten run to 17 matches in all competitions.
And Palace will look to take that even further when they host leaders Liverpool, who they beat in the FA Community Shield in August, next weekend.
Club reports
West Ham report | Crystal Palace report
What the managers said
Graham Potter: "It's tough, the results are not what we want at all. I feel for the players, supporters, everybody connected with the club. We have to stick together and find a solution."
Oliver Glasner: "We did really well today, the only criticism is that we didn't decide the game when we could have done. We had some good situations in the box when we didn't score. Then West Ham scored and the momentum changed. We struggled for a bit, but credit to the players.
"The goal for the next few months is to be more efficient in attack, be more clinical and take the chances that we have. We have a lot of potential, it's about being more consistent in decision-making. This is our foundation."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions (W7 D10), their joint-second longest run of games without defeat in their history, surpassed only by an 18-game run that ended in August 1969.
West Ham have lost their opening three home league games for the second consecutive season; they had never previously done so in 98 seasons in English football beforehand.
Mateta scored his 50th goal in all competitions for Crystal Palace, with 34 of them coming in 68 games under Glasner. It was his fifth goal across his last four appearances against West Ham in the Premier League.
Mitchell scored his fourth goal in 174 appearances in the Premier League, and his first in 44 games since netting against Manchester United in May 2024.