West Ham 3 Crystal Palace 0: Carroll scissor-kick helps Hammers to victory

Andy Carroll’s stunning scissor-kick helped West Ham to a 3-0 Premier League victory over Crystal Palace in the absence of wantaway star Dimitri Payet at London Stadium.

After a poor first half in which the Hammers had badly missed Payet – whose intention to leave the club has been revealed by manager Slaven Bilic – Sofiane Feghouli netted his first Premier League goal, Carroll added a superb second and Manuel Lanzini completed the scoring to end a three-match losing run.

It was a huge moment for Feghouli, snubbed by Algeria for the Africa Cup of Nations, but Carroll was the star in a marvellous second-half performance that reached a crescendo with a strike of supreme quality.

Thrashing high into the net to leave Wayne Hennessey with no chance, the England international banished memories of West Ham’s earlier struggles as they waited half an hour for a first opportunity.

Lanzini’s neat finish added a gloss to the scoreline, and this result leaves former Hammers manager Sam Allardyce still chasing his first win as Palace boss.

With Wilfried Zaha away on international duty, the visitors looked blunt in attack, and league debutant Loic Remy could not make an impact from the bench.

After a slow start, Carroll mustered the game’s first effort of note, flashing a volley narrowly over from Mark Noble’s right-wing cross.
 
Although Yohan Cabaye responded with a thunderous strike hitting the target from 25 yards, Darren Randolph was able to gather.
 
The West Ham goalkeeper should then have been given no chance as James Tomkins met an Andros Townsend free-kick in front of goal, but, against his former club, the defender somehow stabbed wide.

Michail Antonio crucially kept Jason Puncheon from turning in another fine Townsend delivery, and further wayward blasts from Carroll and Cabaye followed soon after the break.

Palace defenders twice deflected Carroll headers off target, and the former Liverpool striker then fired a strike past the near post as he twisted into space in the area.

Lanzini curled a free-kick over before substitute Sam Byram thumped wide, but West Ham’s domination in the second half was finally rewarded after 68 minutes.

Antonio tore past Hennessey from a delicate Noble pass and, pushed wide on the left, centred for Feghouli to bundle into the net.

With Allardyce throwing on Remy to chase a leveller, West Ham countered and Antonio sliced wide, before he laid on the clincher.

Acrobatically leaping to meet Antonio’s cross, Carroll crashed a volley past the stationary Hennessey to kill off any Palace hopes.

Lanzini then sealed the points with four minutes remaining, racing clear and dinking a fine finish over the goalkeeper.