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