Refs will be on red alert after blast from Zaha

WHEN I heard Wilfried Zaha demanding more protection from referees, I thought: That’s a really smart move. For too long, he has been given a raw deal by officials.

Zaha plays at a different speed to everyone else on the pitch. He will beat players at will and when he is flying with the ball at lightning pace, it only takes the slightest nudge to send him tumbling.

It means he has been unfairly branded a diver and referees are reluctant to give big decisions his way.

Zaha is no cheat. Like fellow pacy wide men Eden Hazard and Leroy Sane, he gets more than his fair share of kicks. This weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

He said after Crystal Palace’s victory over Huddersfield that he fears he will have to suffer a broken leg before those who badly foul him are punished with red cards.

This comes three weeks after he was lucky to escape without serious injury against Watford when Etienne Capoue raked his studs down Zaha’s leg. That appalling challenge was only punished with a yellow card.

Zaha (below) must be one of the unluckiest players in the Premier League in terms of how he is treated, but now he has spoken out, every referee will be on red alert.

When Crystal Palace face Newcastle on Saturday, it would not surprise me if Zaha wins a penalty.

Nobody wants to see a player of such quality seriously injured, least of all manager Roy Hodgson. It is well-known that Palace have lost their last 10 games without their talisman in their team and I have written in these pages that he is the best player outside the top six clubs.

Physicality is a big part of what makes the Premier League so exciting to watch — but so are the stars like Zaha who thrill us every week. Our league would suffer if the likes of Zaha, Hazard and Sane feel they have to play within themselves to prevent the risk of a nasty injury. After his bold words this weekend, I hope referees start to give Zaha the longoverdue protection he deserves.