Carl Jenkinson is facing a familiar problem, even though he is wearing a West Ham United shirt rather than an Arsenal one. He is playing in a team who can attack with fluency but needs to learn how to shut out the opposition.
Jenkinson, who is on a season-long loan deal at West Ham after signing a five-year contract with Arsenal in the summer, has been a goalscorer in successive matches thanks to the attacking approach. The right back finished like a striker to put West Ham into a 1-0 lead but, at the other end of the field, he clumsily gave away the penalty that allowed Crystal Palace to level quickly at 1-1, before the home team were reduced to ten men and conceded two late goals.
Jenkinson had scored once in his previous 75 matches in the Barclays Premier League before his back-to-back goals. West Ham’s desire for their full backs to be penetrative has helped that, but the 23-year-old — who has been capped once by England — realises that the team must find a balance.
“The gaffer [Slaven Bilic] wants to encourage us to get forward but, at the same time, our first job is of course defending,” Jenkinson said. “The gaffer knows that we have so much quality going forward and it’s about keeping the ball out of our net.”
The “quality going forward” is exemplified by the summer signings who scored West Ham’s late goals: Manuel Lanzini, who timed his run to perfection and slotted the ball home, and Dimitri Payet, who produced a deceptive dummy and clever chip.
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The game could have turned out differently had Dwight Gayle not been booked twice late in the first half. Gayle had won a penalty, which Yohan Cabaye scored from, but then produced two mistimed challenges.
Alan Pardew, the Palace manager, claimed that Mark Clattenburg, the referee, “spoiled the game”, inferring that Palace and Clattenburg have “history”. Palace have a poor record when he has been in charge.
RATINGS
Crystal Palace (4-2-3-1): W Hennessey 6 — M Kelly 6, B Hangeland 7, S Dann 7, P Souaré 6 — Y Cabaye 6 (sub: J Ledley, 77min), J McArthur 6 (sub: M Jedinak, 63 6) — W Zaha 5 (sub: B Sako, 45 6), J Puncheon 5, Y Bolasie 6 — D Gayle 4. Substitutes not used: A McCarthy, P Bamford, F Campbell, D Delaney. Booked: Gayle, Jedinak. Sent off: Gayle.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Adrián 6 — C Jenkinson 7, J Tomkins 5, J Collins 6, A Cresswell 6 — C Kouyaté 6, M Noble 6 (sub: A Carroll, 62 7) — M Lanzini 8, D Payet 7, V Moses 7 (sub: M Zárate, 74) — D Sakho 7 (sub: N Jelavic, 85). Substitutes not used: D Randolph, E Valencia, P Obiang, A Ogbonna. Booked: Tomkins, Payet, Jelavic.
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Referee: M Clattenburg. Att: 24,812.