Appeal pays as Zaha makes point

AND to think Wilfried Zaha wasn’t even supposed to be playing.

There was almost an air of inevitability about it all as the Crystal Palace forward grabbed a crucial equaliser at Selhurst Park.

Of course it was him. Who else would it be?

As soon as Palace lodged an appeal against Zaha’s extra onematch ban for sarcastically applauding ref Andre Marriner after being sent off against Southampton – which meant he could play against West Ham yesterday – he was always going to have a profound impact.

West Ham may point to a cunning plan for Zaha to carry his suspension into next Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round clash against Doncaster — a game he may not even have been selected for anyway.

They may have a point. But as much as Manuel Pellegrini may dislike it, that’s how the cookie crumbles.

And what’s more, Palace were well worth their point during their pulsating London derby. At halftime Palace were clinging on, but by full-time it was West Ham who were praying for the whistle.

‘There is an element of disappointment when the performance merited three points but only got one,’ said Palace boss Roy Hodgson, whose side missed chance after chance in the second half. ‘But we were a goal to nil down for a long time, so that does temper my thoughts.’

Vicente Guaita made two important saves in as many firsthalf minutes to deny Ryan Fredericks and Robert Snodgrass as West Ham came flying out of the traps.

But in the 27th minute keeper Guaita careered into Michail Antonio and Mark Noble sent the keeper the wrong way from the spot.

On 52 minutes James McArthur waited and waited before hitting the post. But in the 76th minute Palace finally notched a deserved equaliser as Zaha’s shot took a defection off Issa Diop before looping over Lukasz Fabianski.