Bowen’s header lifts West Ham, but another set‑piece lapse lets Palace escape with the points

For a few minutes after half-time, London Stadium felt alive again. Jarrod Bowen’s glancing header from El Hadji Malick Diouf’s corner wiped out Crystal Palace’s opener and sparked a spell that looked capable of flipping the afternoon. Instead, a familiar flaw reappeared, Tyrick Mitchell volleying the visitors back in front as a 2-1 defeat tightened the pressure around Graham Potter and his players.

This was a game of narrow margins in which West Ham’s best surge came and went without reward. Lucas Paqueta had an effort hooked off the line by Chris Richards at 1-1; beyond that, chances to seize momentum weren’t taken. Palace’s second goal punctured the revival and the Hammers found no late route back, the soundtrack turning from hope to dissent.

A flat opening and the corner that cut deepest

Potter made a big call by restoring Alphonse Areola in goal in place of Mads Hermansen and spoke beforehand about drilling set‑piece detail, but early corners still made the stadium anxious. Palace were direct about targeting those situations and, after West Ham withstood six deliveries, the seventh proved costly.

On 37 minutes Daichi Kamada curved in the corner, Marc Guehi rose to head against the bar via Areola’s touch, and Jean‑Philippe Mateta nodded in the rebound from point‑blank range. It capped a passive half from the Hammers, who failed to produce a shot and heard the frustration from the stands as they left the pitch a goal down.

Bowen’s moment and the roar that followed

Palace almost doubled their lead seconds after the restart when Maxence Lacroix glanced Adam Wharton’s corner onto the bar. Four minutes later the mood flipped: Diouf’s corner from the right was met by Bowen at the near post and rippled the net. It was the jolt of electricity the occasion demanded.

The next few minutes were the Hammers’ window. West Ham pressed higher and moved the ball with greater bite; Paqueta’s effort, bound for the corner, was rescued by Richards on the line with the goalkeeper beaten. Yet the big second goal never arrived, and Palace steadied, their shape tightening as the hosts’ momentum ebbed.

One loose ball, one ruthless volley

The decisive moment felt avoidable. Wharton’s cross from the right invited a routine headed clearance but Konstantinos Mavropanos misjudged his leap. The ball dropped to Tyrick Mitchell, who shifted his feet and lashed a right‑footed volley beyond Areola to restore Palace’s advantage.

From there, West Ham’s response lacked incision. Palace controlled territory and tempo, and the late wave that might have rescued a point never materialised. For a team trying to build belief, conceding from another delivery into the box turned promise into deflation.

The soundtrack of dissent and a manager under scrutiny

The afternoon unfolded under a cloud of discontent. Around 3,000 supporters protested before kick‑off, directing chants and banners at the board, and “sack the board” echoed again when the game was goalless and at the interval. Later, disapproval greeted the withdrawals of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville, with “you don’t know what you’re doing” ringing out.

After full-time, some West Ham fans joined Palace’s “you’re getting sacked in the morning” refrain aimed at Potter. The head coach insisted he still feels support from above and said set‑pieces had been a focus in training: “Everyone at the club feels that pressure because the situation isn’t what we want.” The message from the stands, though, was unmistakable.

Where the fix must start

There were green shoots in that spell after Bowen’s goal—tempo, territory, a sense of purpose—but they were undermined by the same weakness that has haunted West Ham. Corners and crosses keep deciding games against them, and until those moments are met with clarity and aggression, every lead conceded or chance missed will feel heavier.

The Hammers’ home run has turned bleak and the margins aren’t falling their way. The roadmap out is obvious if not simple: secure the box at set plays, sustain the intensity shown at 1-1, and turn pressure into chances—and chances into goals—before opponents can reassert control.