Zaha rides the hard tackles to deny Norwich
As THE minutes ticked by, Norwich could see the finishing line. A fourth-minute strike by Todd Cantwell had given them a morale-boosting lead and they had handled what an injuryravaged Crystal Palace could throw at them.
Enter Wilfried Zaha and Connor Wickham. And — as is so often the case this season — the VAR.
If there were two players who tormented the Norwich fans yesterday, it was the hugely-talented Zaha and Wickham, the former Ipswich striker.
Five minutes from time the pair combined to deny bottom-of-the-table Norwich the win they thought they had earned, and which was much needed given the victories by other relegationthreatened sides Aston Villa, Watford, West Ham and southampton.
Zaha had to contend with venomous abuse from the fans who occupy what is endearingly called the ‘ snake Pit’ section of Carrow Road. Wickham came on as a 60th-minute substitute to a barrage of insults.
Zaha was the architect of the equaliser, with a darting run down the left and a low cross for Wickham to score from close range. The joy of the Palace fans was immediately dampened by the sight of a flag from the assistant, who judged Wickham to be offside. Cue Norwich joy. Then the referee, Jonathan Moss, made his statutory check with VAR, made a gesture like a television screen, and pointed to the halfway line. The goal was given.
suddenly the journey from south London was all worthwhile. And Palace manager Roy Hodgson revealed just how committed Zaha is to the club.
‘He was a doubt, right up until this morning,’ Hodgson said. ‘We weren’t sure he would be able to play. But he declared himself fit and it shows what a big heart he has for the club. For me, he got fouled too often. He got the fouls, got the free-kicks but I would have preferred to have him running free at goal than having a free-kick.’
While Hodgson was delighted with the resolve and tenacity that earned Palace a point, he was clearly concerned about an injury list that at kick-off stood at seven. ‘Make that eight,’ Hodgson said after reporting that Mamadou sakho suffered a hamstring injury that led to him being substituted at half-time.
And none of those wounded will be ready to face Derby in the FA Cup third round on sunday, where Hodgson will meet one of his former England charges: Wayne Rooney. ‘He will score. Players always score against their old managers,’ Hodgson said.
For Norwich manager Daniel Farke, there was further cause for debate about the VAR system that had cost Teemu Pukki a goal against Tottenham. Defender Christoph Zimmerman was judged to have played Wickham onside for the goal.
‘Today it feels like the player is one yard closer to the goal than Christoph, but they found a moment when his toenail was closer than the opponent,’ Farke said. He admitted that Norwich badly needed the cushion of a second goal. Inspired by the superb Emi Buendia, they looked as though it might come. But it didn’t materialise, and the final say belonged to Zaha and Wickham.
‘When you concede a goal like that so late, it feels like a loss,’ Farke said.
NORWICH CITY( 4-2-3-1): Krul 6, Byram 6, Hanley 6, Zimmermann 6, Aarons 6, Vrancic 6, Tettey 6 (Idah 90), Cantwell 6 (Hernandez 77min), McLean 6, BUENDIA 8, Pukki 6 (Stiepermann 82). Subs not used: McGovern, Lewis, Trybull, Amadou.
Booked: Zimmermann, Aarons, Hanley, Stiepermann, Tettey. Scorer: Cantwell 4.
Manager: Daniel Farke 7. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-5-1): Guaita 6, Riedewald 6, Sakho 6 (Kouyate 46, 6), Tomkins 7, Kelly 6 (Pierrick 82), Zaha 7, McArthur 7, Milivojevic 6, McCarthy 6, Meyer 5 (Wickham 59, 6.5), Ayew 6. Subs not used: Hennessey, Woods, Kirby, Daly. Booked: None. Scorer: Wickham 85. Manager: Roy Hodgson 7. Referee: Jonathan Moss 7.
Attendance: 27,021.