Zaha’s the best player outside the big six
WHAT an excellent week for Roy Hodgson and Crystal Palace. After a sensational comeback victory over Watford in midweek, they scored their first away goals in an emphatic 3-0 win at Leicester. Hodgson deserves immense credit for how he has managed Christian Benteke this week. I wrote in my last column that Benteke may have to apologise after he insisted on taking a matchwinning penalty against Bournemouth, which he promptly missed. After accepting his apology, Hodgson kept faith with the forward and was rewarded when he scored his first goal since May in Saturday’s win at the King Power Stadium. Hodgson has got Palace well organised and has made them hard to beat. They are now unbeaten in seven, keeping clean sheets in three of those games. Even when Palace were rock bottom I maintained their squad was too talented to go down — particularly with Wilfried Zaha fit and firing. Some of the things Zaha was doing on the ball at Leicester were unbelievable. He is the best player outside the big six clubs and it is vital Hodgson keeps hold of him next month.