Crystal Palace deservedly edged a seven-goal thriller against West Ham to reach the 40-point mark targeted by manager Roy Hodgson and leave the Hammers in relegation trouble.
Former England boss Hodgson has led Palace to four wins in six games since returning as manager last month to almost certainly guide the Eagles, now 11 points clear of the bottom three, to safety.
Kick-off in south London was delayed by 15 minutes because of an issue with the turnstiles – but there was no shortage of action once the match got underway.
Although West Ham took an early lead when Tomas Soucek punished Michael Olise’s failure to clear a corner, Palace swung the game in their favour with three goals in an impressive 15-minute spell.
Jordan Ayew levelled within six minutes with a first-time finish at the end a slick move, before the returning Wilfried Zaha finished from Eberechi Eze’s pass across the six-yard box and Jeffrey Schlupp added a third after dispossessing Soucek.
A superb first half took another twist when West Ham again capitalised on a corner, Michail Antonio heading in at the back post to reduce the deficit before the break.
Eze’s penalty restored Palace’s two-goal advantage midway through the second half after he was judged to have been fouled by Nayef Aguerd – but the Hammers defender made amends as the visitors responded with a scrappy third from yet another set-piece.
However, David Moyes’ side could not find a late equaliser to boost their survival prospects and West Ham remain five points above the relegation places with five games remaining.
