LONDON (AP) — With yet another victory, Roy Hodgson has surely completed his short-term mission of securing Crystal Palace’s Premier League status for another season.
Palace beat West Ham 4-3 in an end-to-end game at Selhurst Park on Saturday to move to 40 points, the number long associated with being the safety mark in England’s top flight.
That should be more than enough to guarantee Palace’s survival, with the team now 11 points above the relegation zone.
Since the 75-year-old Hodgson came in as interim manager until the end of the season, Palace has won four of its six league matches, losing only once. Before his arrival for a second stint in charge of the team, Palace had gone 13 matches without a win in all competitions.
Palace recovered from going behind to Tomas Soucek’s ninth-minute opener by scoring three goals in a 15-minute span by the 30th, through Jordan Ayew, Wilfried Zaha and Jeffrey Schlupp.
Michail Antonio reduced the deficit in the 35th before Eberechi Eze stroked home a penalty, after he was pulled back by Nayef Aguerd, in the 66th to restore Palace’s two-goal cushion.
Aguerd made amends by bundling in West Ham’s third goal — all of which came from corners — in the 72nd but Palace held on for the win.
West Ham stayed five points above the relegation zone with five games left.
