By Sean Fisher

6th Nov, 2022 | 5:00pm

Sky Sports pundit labels West Ham United 'awful' v Crystal Palace and reveals 'fan unrest'

West Ham took the lead against Crystal Palace thanks to Said Benrahma’s goal, but Dean Ashton gave a damning verdict on the Hammers’ performance.

David Moyes’ side started poorly on Sunday afternoon but took the lead thanks to Benrahma’s strike in the 20th minute. Wilfried Zaha drew the visitors level just four minutes before the break.

The Hammers were extremely lucky to enter the dressing room level, and fans at the London Stadium were left unimpressed by the side’s first-half performance.

Ashton covered the game for Sky Sports (6 November, 2:20pm) and slammed West Ham for their sloppy showing.

Just moments after Benrahma’s goal, Ashton said: “They’ve not deserved it, they’ve been awful. They’ve been booed, and there’s been unrest as they’ve been giving the ball away, but that is special from Benrahma.”

Wake-up call needed

West Ham have looked void of energy and hunger in the first half, and it will be a huge concern to Moyes at half time.

The team looked sluggish after just a few minutes of play, and it only got worse as players continuously made poor passes and surrendered possession.

With the Hammers facing a huge chance to enter the top half of the Premier League table this weekend, the team should’ve been eager and full of energy.

As brutal as Ashton’s verdict was, it was right. West Ham didn’t deserve the lead and Crystal Palace deserved an equaliser due to the poor attitude from the Hammers.

Moyes needs to give the squad a real wake-up call to make sure that the first-half performance on Sunday is never seen again this season.

Players are understandably tired after a hectic schedule in recent weeks, but many of the first-team players were handed a rest on Thursday and should be energised. There’s simply no excuse for such a poor performance.