Report & Highlights: Late heartbreak for young Eagles in nine-goal thriller

Summary

• Seb Williams comes in for Mofe Jemide as the only change

• West Ham take the lead six minutes in via Medine

• Palace equalise five minutes later through Marsh

• Marsh nets his 20th of the season to put Palace ahead

• The Hammers equalise half an hour in through Rigge

• Agbinone almost puts Palace ahead on a breakaway

• HT: West Ham 2-2 Palace

• Marsh completes his sixth hat-trick of the season shortly after the restart

• Eastwood makes a strong stop to keep Palace ahead 51 minutes in

• Derry’s effort is cleared off the line on the hour-mark

• West Ham level once more through Jones with 20 minutes to go

• The hosts take the lead three minutes later via substitute Fawunmi

• King levels for Palace in the 83rd minute

• West Ham took the lead in the 92nd minute through Umolu

• Palace almost level with the last kick of the game, but Derry hits the bar

• FT: West Ham 5-4 Palace

Three weeks on from the chaotic 3-2 win with 10-men against Aston Villa, Crystal Palace Under-18s returned to action as they travelled to face West Ham.

In a single change to the side, Seb Williams came in for Mofe Jemide. Asher Agbinone retained his place in the side, following his recent comeback from injury.

Palace got off to a bright start, creating a succession of chances, but it was the hosts who took the lead with their first real attack of the game. Elisha Sowunmi charged through the middle of the park before slipping it to Jethro Medine to finish inside the box.

The young Eagles were in search of an equaliser and almost had one immediately through Williams. Marsh held up the ball well before it was picked up by Agbinone, a first-time pass across to Williams was met with a fierce shot, but Finlay Herrick in the West Ham goal turned it behind.

Five minutes after going behind, Palace managed to draw level through Zach Marsh. A quickly taken free-kick from Kai-Reece Adams-Collman found Agbinone and Hindolo Mustapha on the right hand side.

Mustapha cut it back across into the path of Marsh in the box, and the Palace No. 9 took a touch with his left to tee the ball up and finished with his right.

Just under 10 minutes later, Marsh was wheeling away in celebration once more as he put Palace ahead. A dinked ball over the top of two West Ham defenders from Agbinone found Marsh, who managed to get a shot away. Herrick saved it, though Marsh was there on the follow up to capitalise into an empty net.

Palace were in the ascendancy, though their lead was short lived as they were pegged back half an hour in by Daniel Rigge. A cross from Sowunmi wasn’t properly cleared by the Palace defence, and the West Ham forward managed to slot home to bring them back on level terms.

The south Londoners had two big chances to go into the break ahead, but couldn’t capitalise on them. Derry saw a rasping shot inside the box turned behind by Herrick, Agbinone fired narrowly over the bar on an incisive counter from a West Ham corner.

With the sides level pegging at 2-2 at the break, it was all to play for in the second-half. Palace came racing out the blocks and managed to go ahead once more just three minutes into the new half.

A clearance from Billy Eastwood was met by Joe Gibbard and then flicked on by Mustapha into the path of Marsh. He carried it goalbound and fired a goalbound shot on his right foot that deflected in off Airidas Golambeckis, giving him his sixth hat-trick of the campaign.

The hosts were now behind again and were in search of yet another equaliser. They nearly had one just moments after Marsh put Palace ahead, but for Eastwood getting a strong hand on an Emeka Adiele shot that looked destined for the top corner.

On the hour-mark, Derry nearly put Palace two goals to the good. Exceptional work from Agbinone on the right saw him beat his man and drill a cross into the six-yard box. Marsh got a touch to lay it off to Derry for a strong drive, but his effort was blocked on the line by Golambeckis.

The Hammers found another equaliser to make it 3-3 in the 69th minute through second-half substitute Liam Jones and then quickly took the lead with momentum in their favour just three minutes later via Favour Fawunmi.

The game was completely turned on its head, though Palace had 20 minutes to find a route back into the game. That duly came in the 83rd minute as George King fired home his sixth of the campaign to draw Palace level.

Agbinone fired a dangerous ball back across the face of goal which Herrick could only parry into the danger zone, before centre-back King was on hand to deliver a striker’s finish to make it honours even at 4-4.

It looked as though the points were going to be shared in east London, though the Hammers were awarded a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time. Jemiah Umolu stepped up from 12-yards and found the bottom corner, putting the hosts ahead with very little time remaining.

Palace didn’t let their heads dropped as they again plugged away in search of an equaliser in the dying embers of the game. They came agonisingly close to finding one with one of the last kicks of the game, but Derry rattled the crossbar.

It was a tough one to take for Rob Quinn’s side as the referee brought proceedings to an end. The result means the U18s remain in fourth place, level on points with Arsenal and Fulham.

West Ham: Herrick (GK), Golambeckis, Adiele, Nwosu (Jones, 62), Briggs, Mayers, Medine (Fawunmi, 62), Caliste, Ajala (Oyebade, 77), Rigge, Sowunmi (Umolu, 62).

Sub not used: Abraham (GK).

Palace: Eastwood (GK), Adams-Collman (Cowin, 45), King, Grante, Cardines, Gibbard (Elliott, 89), S. Williams (Kyremeh, 82), Mustapha (Dashi, 77), Agbinone, Marsh, Derry.

Sub not used: Hill (GK).