DAVID MOYES can carry on insisting he has no concerns over his future, but this felt like the end.
After four years of European nights and glory, things are coming to a rather unattractive close.
Moyes, out of contract in the summer, may want to stay on, want to keep going – he can hardly say he doesn’t fancy it – but it feels like the Scot and West Ham are coming to a natural end.
No one can ever wipe away what he has achieved as one of the modern greats in East London and there is no guarantee bigger and better things lay ahead under new management.
But there cannot be much appetite for more of this from all parties. It will take a miraculous end to the season for Moyes to be in charge again come August, with his own fans chanting “sacked in the morning” here.
London, New York and Europe welcome New Year; plus pics from around the world
West Ham kicked-off knowing a win would take them sixth, even just for a matter of days.
Those hopes and dreams were drastically dashed inside 20 hapless and humiliating minutes for Moyes and his players.
Michael Olise got things going, Eberechi Eze made it worse and them Emerson Palmieri prodded one into his own net.
Palace were creative and clinical, but nothing too special. This was West Ham opening the door and waving some superb talent straight through, Eze and Olise allowed to roam free at times.
Jean-Philippe Mateta continued his superb form under Oliver Glasner with the fourth before the break and Palace’s fifth after the break.
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
Cameras cut between a stony-faced Tim Steidten, the West Ham technical director, and a bemused Moyes. They will be having some awkward conversations in the days to come.
Michail Antonio and grabbed one back and Palace did their own impression of West Ham’s defending with a comical Tyrick Mitchell own-goal, but nothing was going to get the visitors back into this.
It has been a gruelling and sapping couple of weeks for the Hammers, but they knew their season rested on a result in South London – and no one showed up.
Moyes’ argument is that playing Thursday to Sunday is more difficult than anyone outside of a football club can comprehend.
Vinicius' strike is enough to seal three points as newboys remain point-less
There are few who make it look more difficult than the Hammers.
They made that task even harder for themselves by trimming an already small squad to the bare bones in January.
After giving Jarrod Bowen injections to get him through Leverksen on Thursday night, the winger was not even fit enough to take a seat on the bench at Selhurst Park.
The only thing Emerson added to was Palace’s lead, jabbing in an own goal for the host’s third.
That came after West Ham were put in a spin thanks to a fast start from the Eagles, aided by some shocking defending.
Olise’s opener, headed in unmarked between Angelo Ogbonna and Emerson, came after the Frenchman and Eze had moved around a crammed penalty box unopposed.
Kurt Zouma joined in the Hammers circus for the second, passing out of the back straight to Palace defender Chris Richards.
Palace quickly moved forward, Mateta saw a shot stopped but Lukasz Fabianski’s save lopped up and was acrobatically dispatched by Eze.
The chances continued to come and go, Eze and Olise both went close again and Joachim Andersen should have had one at the far post.
Even when West Ham had the ball they were not safe. Will Hughes swiped the ball from Antonio and set Eze away. He played in Olise who crossed for Mateta to tap home and join in the fun.
Antonio grabbed one back before half-time, but it sparked very little life or hope in the Hammers.
Moyes made two changes at the break, but Palace kept going. Eze was tormenting again, slipping a ball through Zouma’s legs into Mateta as the striker was allowed to turn and finish.
All that was left, late on, was for Mitchell and Dean Henderson to produce an almighty mistake, the keeper swinging and missing a back pass and watching it settle in the back of his net. The ideal day for a goalkeeper to have their rare clanger.
