Daily Mail

KING ZAHA

A great goal, a few moans but how long can Palace keep

- KIERAN GILL at the Vitality Stadium

THE statistici­ans say Crystal Palace are a different side with and without Wilfried Zaha. They tell us he creates an abundance of chances and is the Premier League’s deadliest dribbler. What the number crunchers do not count, however, are the strops. Zaha spent most of this match moaning, often towards his own team-mates with an arm in the air and his back turned in disgust. Do not pass the ball to him and you will hear about it. This is all part of the Zaha package, and what other clubs will be trying to buy this summer. A brilliant footballer, perhaps the best outside the Big Six, and one who is never far from throwing a tantrum. It is not necessaril­y a bad thing. Zaha has a desire to get on the ball so he can do something special with it. On Saturday, he did just that. On 75 minutes, he left two Bournemout­h markers on their backsides, executed an exquisite turn and blasted the ball beyond Asmir Begovic. ‘ The fact is if you’re playing against Wilf Zaha, you can never relax,’ said his manager, Roy Hodgson. ‘ He was a constant menace. ‘If I had taken him off, there would have been a collective sigh of relief from the Bournemout­h defence. He’s very skilful. He’s a very, very good player. He almost won us the game with that excellent goal.’

Bournemout­h boss Eddie Howe was asked whether he thought his team contained Zaha well. ‘It doesn’t sound too good when you say “aside from the goal”, does it?’ Howe said.

‘He’s an outstandin­g player. I really do believe he is one of the best in his position in the Premier League.’

Zaha’s importance to Palace? They have played 10 Premier League games without him this season and lost them all.

The 25-year- old started up front here because of an injury to Christian Benteke who, in truth, was not missed. Zaha and Andros Townsend’s movement kept Bournemout­h busy.

‘That’s the best we’ve played going forward for a long time,’ Hodgson said. ‘Certainly the most chances we’ve created for a long time.’

A win would have taken Palace five points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three. Instead they were twice pegged back by Bournemout­h.

Luka Milivojevi­c handed them the lead from a 25-yard free-kick before Lys Mousset’s leveller. Zaha made it 2-1 with a beautiful turn on the ball to fool Ryan Fraser and a fine finish as it looked likely he would be Palace’s match-winner. It wasn’t to be, as Joshua King had the last laugh. AFC BOURNEMOUT­H (4-4-1-1): Begovic 7; Francis 6, Cook 6.5 (Surman 80min), Ake 7, Daniels 6; FRASER 7.5, Cook 6, Gosling 6, Pugh 6 (Mousset 62, 6.5); Defoe 6; Wilson 5 (King 62, 6.5). Subs not used: Boruc, Smith, Simpson, Taylor. Scorers: Mousset 65, King 89. Booked: Francis, Gosling. Manager: Eddie Howe 6.5. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Hennessey 6; Wan-Bissaka 5.5, Tomkins 5.5, Sakho 5.5, Van Aanholt 6; McArthur 6.5, Cabaye 6.5, Milivojevi­c 6, Loftus-Cheek 6.5; Townsend 6, Zaha 7. Subs not used: Lee, Cavalieri, Souare, Fosu-Mensah, Kelly, Riedewald, Daly. Scorers: Milivojevi­c 47, Zaha 75. Booked: Tomkins, Cabaye. Manager: Roy Hodgson 6.5. Referee: Jon Moss 6. Attendance: 10,730.

 ??  ?? Brilliance: Zaha lit up Palace’s draw at the Vitality GETTY IMAGES
Brilliance: Zaha lit up Palace’s draw at the Vitality GETTY IMAGES
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