West Ham vs Crystal Palace: Glenn Murray admits he was asking to be sent-off after 'a few stupid fouls'

Glenn Murray admitted he knew he was walking a tightrope before earning a red card at the end of his match-winning performance for Crystal Palace at West Ham.

The Cumbrian striker bagged a brace, with Scott Dann contributing the Eagles' other goal, as Palace beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park to pull eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Murray was, however, dismissed after picking up a second yellow for a 69th-minute challenge on Winston Reid, an outcome referee Mike Dean had warned him was coming.

"Obviously it's great to get a couple of goals but I'm disappointed to get sent off, it was just a reaction and I think the referee was almost waiting to send me off after a few stupid fouls," he told Sky Sports.

"I gave him that option and he took it.

"We spoke about it at half-time - 'don't make a challenge' - and I managed not to outside the box but it was just a reaction inside the box unfortunately.

"He just said there'd been a few niggly little fouls and he'd kept having to stop the game so he'd said: 'no more'."

Murray's double gave Palace a cushion which helped Alan Pardew's men survive a late Hammers' fightback that saw Enner Valencia score in the final 15 minutes.

Former West Ham boss Pardew felt "terrific" Murray had had a "mixed afternoon".

He said: "He showed the qualities of a centre-forward with his movement. He could have had a hat-trick in the first half, we only had three or four chances and he had them all.

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"It was a great header from the corner, we got a bit of fortune from that, but his other goal was typical of him knowing where to be and he dispatched it.

"The sending-off was a little bit unlucky because I was literally subbing him for Shola (Ameobi) at that stage and he had to go for that in the box. I don't think Reid helped if I'm honest.

"But I think the ref would have sent him off anyway.

"So a mixed afternoon but I'm absolutely delighted with him because I think it's a harsh sending-off and he's not really meant to hurt anybody today. He was terrific."

PA