West Ham vs Crystal Palace match report: Cheikhou Kouyate red card costs Hammers despite Dimitri Payet magic
West Ham 2 Crystal Palace 2
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Your support makes all the difference.Dwight Gayle's first Premier League goal of the season dented West Ham's bid to reach the Champions League.
But manager Slaven Bilic was left fuming by referee Mark Clattenburg's decision to show midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate a straight red card, for a foul on Gayle, with 23 minutes remaining.
The Hammers were leading courtesy of another of Dimitri Payet's growing collection of stunning free-kicks.
But the 10 men were forced to settle for a point after eight minutes later when substitute Gayle pounced on Winston Reid's mis-kick.
"We have every right to be very disappointed with the decision," said Bilic. "It had a huge impact on the game.
"For anyone who has anything to do with football it's very easy to judge that decision. It is simply never a red card. For me personally it is not even a yellow card.
"In England maybe it's not even a foul - a 50-50 challenge!"
Kouyate certainly seemed to get plenty of the ball when he slid in on Gayle near the halfway line, and even Palace boss Alan Pardew admitted the decision was "harsh".
"The sending-off was the key moment," he added. "It was a robust challenge but when I was a midfielder I'd have been disappointed to have been sent off for that.
"But we had Gayle sent off in the reverse fixture and we felt that was harsh - so maybe its evened itself out."
Palace, without a win in their previous 13 games, took a surprise lead after 15 minutes.
Bakary Sako's free-kick appeared to be curling out of play until, at the last moment, Hammers keeper Adrian decided it might creep inside his far post and clawed it out, only to drop it onto the head of Damien Delaney for a simple goal.
But the lead lasted less than three minutes before Manuel Lanzini levelled from 12 yards.
Pardew had warned his side not to commit fouls within 30 yards of goal following Payet's stunning free-kicks at Manchester United and, for France, against Russia in the last couple of weeks.
But when Joel Ward chopped the Frenchman down 25 yards out, Pardew knew what was coming
Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey left plenty of room to his right, expecting Payet to reprise his spectacular recent efforts.
However, as Hennessey began to move right Payet, rather than lift the ball over the seven-man wall, curled the ball around it into the opposite corner.
"We talked about putting a hole in the wall, or the goalkeeper standing more central," revealed Pardew. "But I just think that's just unsavable!
"If someone had offered me a draw at 2-1 down with the form West Ham are in at the moment I'd have taken it.
"Dwight is probably our most natural goalscorer. He's been in the gym while he's been out injured and he looks bigger and stronger in the shirt now.
"Our fans have been incredibly loyal to the team and me through this run and it was nice to get that goal in front of them."
Teams
West Ham: Adrian, Antonio, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Noble, Emenike, Lanzini, Payet, Sakho.
Subs: Randolph, Song, Tomkins, Carroll, Valencia, Obiang, Moses.
Crystal Palace: Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Jedinak, Ledley, Zaha, Bolasie, Puncheon, Sako.
Subs: Mariappa, Campbell, McCarthy, Lee, Gayle, Mutch, Kelly.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)
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