Oliver Glasner: Transfer business is no excuse for Palace’s loss to West Ham

Oliver Glasner refused to pin Crystal Palace’s 2-0 loss to West Ham on the departure of key players and insisted he had the squad to win.

The Austrian found himself two more players down in the 24 hours before their home opener after Joachim Andersen and Jordan Ayew’s respective departures for Fulham and Leicester were finalised on Friday.

Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen struck in the second half to secure victory for Julen Lopetegui’s side.

And though the Eagles boss had admitted the noise of an especially cacophonous week of the window had unsettled his players, Glasner would not blame the two goals in five second-half minutes which undid his side on their transfer business.

He said: “It would be easy (to blame the noise), this is always the easiest way but it doesn’t help us, so we don’t look for excuses.

“We had enough situations to score today and specifically in the two situations where we conceded the goals we didn’t defend well enough.

“I think in many situations we defended well but in those two transition moments not well because in the first we lost the ball on their 18–yard box and at the end without winning any duels they are in our box.

“We had many situations where we could clear it but we didn’t and so it’s our fault and this is what we have to improve.”

The visitors started on the front foot but Palace grew into the game, the best chance for either side coming three minutes before the break when Eberechi Eze rifled a shot off the crossbar.

Glasner’s men were not without their chances, but it was Soucek who finally broke the deadlock in the 67th minute before Bowen made it two five minutes later.

Substitute Ismaila Sarr nearly cut the deficit but like Eze earlier was denied by the woodwork as the hosts walked away empty-handed on his home debut.

Palace next host Norwich in the Carabao Cup before they look to avoid three consecutive defeats when they travel to Stamford Bridge on September 1.

Glasner added: “If you start with two defeats it’s important to be closer, to stick together and this is what we will do.

“This is what’s important now for all of us, not dreaming of what has been three months ago, not dreaming of what maybe will be in a few months, staying in the present.

“Don’t talk about who left us, don’t talk about who will come. This team today, everybody who played, everybody who was on the bench, would have been able to win this game.”

West Ham boss Lopetegui was relieved by his side’s improved second-half effort, particularly after losing their season opener to Aston Villa.

He said: “It has been a very balanced match, in my opinion, above all the first half. But we achieved the three points, we are happy but above all because the players have fought very well to achieve the three points.

“We suffered in this pre-season a lot. We have had one very strange pre-season for lots of reasons.

“It’s a good feeling that Edson (Alvarez) arrived (from injury), it’s a good feeling that Alphonse (Areola) has made here and of the rest of the players to see all of them connected with the teamwork.”

West Ham’s strange schedule does not see them leave London until their November 2 trip to Nottingham Forest but Lopetegui insisted he treats every game in the capital the same.

He added: “We are not going to know another city! Always in London. This, for me, is the same. If we play against one London team, for me it’s the same.

“I know sometimes for the fans but for me it’s the same. We want three points, it’s always very important.”