Tony Pulis gave this part of south London a reason to believe on Tuesday night.

As home debuts go, this one wasn’t the most exhilarating in terms of attractive football. But Pulis won’t care a jot about that this morning as he basks in the glory of his first win as Crystal Palace manager.

When he was confirmed as Ian Holloway’s successor last week, the brief was clear: stay in the Barclays Premier League.

But even the club’s most ardent fans have not given the former Stoke boss much of a chance after Palace’s dismal start on their return to the top flight.

Stranger things have happened, however, and striker Marouane Chamakh’s winning goal has raised hope of a great escape.

Pulis said: ‘What we have to do is win games, put points on the board to give everybody hope.

‘You win games, you give the fans hope and the more hope you give them, the more they’ll back the team and buy into what the team need.

‘We need to strengthen the side and bring a little bit more quality in and they’ll be delighted if we can do that.’

It certainly wasn’t pretty, a point summed up by an ugly melee involving Ravel Morrison and Joel Ward after the final whistle.

But Pulis was bold on his home bow, deploying two centre forwards in Chamakh and Cameron Jerome.

The prospect of attracting players of the calibre Pulis needs when the transfer window reopens next month will be bleak if Palace are cut adrift after the festive fixtures.

Damien Delaney was booked for a desperate lunge on Morrison around 30 yards out as the West Ham forward powered through the heart of the Palace defence.

Kevin Nolan then missed the visitors’ best chance of the night from the resulting free-kick in the 31st minute. He tamely fired a twisting volley at Julian Speroni after Mark Noble’s brilliant, lofted pass bamboozled Palace.

The West Ham skipper had let Palace off the hook big time and he knew it, as did his manager who turned away with a face like thunder as Speroni gathered.

Five minutes later, Carlton Cole crossed to Downing when he should have tried to work Speroni, before Momo Diame headed over from 10 yards after Stewart Downing’s inswinging cross from the right.

Allardyce’s side were wasteful and, sure enough, they were punished three minutes before the break.

A collective groan went round Selhurst Park when Barry Bannan miskicked a corner against team-mate Ward at the near post, but the Scotland midfielder’s second delivery from the rebound was bang on the money. He located Chamakh who nodded home from close range.

Allardyce was sick, and Joey O’Brien’s attempts to keep tabs on the Moroccan in the build-up to the goal would surely have been a talking point in the away dressing room at half-time. Not that Pulis would have bothered as he celebrated the first goal of his Palace reign with a clenched fist.

The Palace boss should have had more to celebrate during the early stages of the second half as the home side missed three glorious chances to extend their lead.

First, Jason Puncheon saw a shot deflect off James Collins and hit the post after West Ham failed to deal with Mile Jedinak’s long ball.

Moments later Kagisho Dikgacoi glanced a header narrowly over the bar after another Bannan cross, before Jussi Jaaskelainen denied Jerome in a one-on-one to keep Palace’s lead down to one.

The tables had definitely turned. And Allardyce responded by throwing on Joe Cole and Modibo Maiga.

The Hammers thought they had pulled level in the 63rd minute when Downing neatly finished Joe Cole’s ball into the box, but referee Lee Mason pulled play back for an earlier foul — a decision that assistant manager Neil McDonald said left Allardyce ‘furious’.

Palace went close to doubling their advantage after substitute Jimmy Kebe beat Jaaskelainen — but Mason chalked off another goal, this time ruling that Jedinak’s cut-back had already crossed the byline.

If Pulis was fearing a backs-to- the-wall job it certainly wasn’t materialising but sooner or later you knew the nerves would kick in.

Speroni did well to hold Noble’s low free kick before Morrison flashed a 20-yard shot wide in the 77th minute as the home support prayed for the final whistle.

And in the final minute Collins sent a diving header wide from a Downing corner as a jubilant Palace climbed off the bottom of the table.

Did you know Pulis has never been relegated as a manager?

—Daily Mail