West Ham supporters will be hopeful of a better result against Crystal Palace on Monday night than in the reverse fixture.
The Hammers lost 2-1 at the London Stadium earlier in the season in Graham Potter’s final game in charge.
Potter’s side made a few mistakes that West Ham simply cannot afford to repeat if they are to get revenge on Palace.
Where would West Ham be right NOW if we hadn’t sacked Graham Potter? 🤔
Let's here your views!
Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of West Ham United, looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on March 22, 2026. Sweden's coach Graham Potter arrives on the pitch prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification Group B football match between Sweden and Slovenia, in Solna on November 18, 2025.
What went wrong for West Ham against Crystal Palace earlier this season
The first of West Ham’s big mistakes against Crystal Palace in September was a tactical error by Graham Potter.
Potter asked his team to press Palace high up the pitch, but the visitors often played through this and left the Hammers exposed.
“We struggled throughout the first half to get the balance between pressing them and not opening ourselves up too much,” he reflected. “We didn’t do that well; that destabilised us a bit.”
The good news for West Ham is that this will likely not happen again with Nuno Espirito Santo’s more counter-attacking style.
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Meanwhile, another of the Hammers’ issues in the reverse fixture – and most of the season – was defending set-pieces.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opening goal came as a direct result of the home side’s inability to clear their lines from a corner.
“We’ve addressed [our weakness from dead-balls], and we’re working to improve it,” Potter added in his post-match interview.
What would you say if Paco Jemez took Nuno’s job?
He's certainly made a big impact…
Paco Jemez the manager of Rayo Vallecano reacts during the La Liga match between RC Celta de Vigo and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Abanca Balaidos Stadium on May 18, 2019 in Vigo, Spain.
“We conceded too many, had to defend a lot. That is something we also have to look at. It’s just constant work on the training ground.”
West Ham have conceded the most goals from set-pieces (17) in the Premier League this season, but only a few this calendar year.
Thirdly, Potter’s side failed to create many chances from open play despite dominating possession against Palace in September.
They only took six shots (two on target) compared to Palace’s 16 (three on target), which summed up the lacklustre football during the Englishman’s tenure.
Nuno’s coaching team will surely have watched the reverse fixture, so they will know exactly where they went wrong last time.
One would expect a much stronger performance from an in-form West Ham team at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox