Mark the date as the moment Sam Allardyce’s long shot dreams of European football for West Ham all but died.
The Hammers lost a 3-1 London Derby match to resurgent Crystal Palace, getting their only goal on a Enner Valencia consolation prize in the final stanza of play at the Boleyn Ground.
[ MATCH RECAP: West Ham 1-3 Crystal Palace ]
“I’m shocked,” Allardyce said. “Our level of performance wasn’t where I expected it to be. It’s disappointing when we’ve built expectation levels so high at home. It’s about the basics, really. If we don’t play to our best, we’ll struggle. We warned the lads about Crystal Palace’s set plays because 50% of their goals have come from set-plays. And we’ve conceded from two corners and a free-kick.”