SUPERSTAR ✶ ZAHA
Wilf proves his worth to Palace as 10-man Baggies are battered
AWILFRED ZAHA transfer saga is as synonymous with the summer as long school holidays and August Bank Holiday traffic jams, yet here was more evidence of why Crystal Palace always refuse to sell their star.
Because whatever Palace are offered for Zaha, and however much he may want to leave, they know Premier League survival is worth more than any transfer fee.
Zaha had to self-isolate after a positive Covid19 test and missed Palace’s last two games, which ended in defeats by Burnley and Newcastle. Not only did he score twice on his return, against 10-man West Bromwich, but the attacker inspired Palace to their biggest away win in the Premier League era, and their first five-goal haul on the road in the competition.
If Zaha was the creative star of the show, West Brom’s Matheus Pereira was the villain. Like Palace with Zaha, Albion rely on the playmaker to provide magic, but he made their task all but impossible when he was sent off on VAR review 34 minutes in.
Referee Paul Tierney initially booked Pereira for his reaction to a foul by Patrick van Aanholt, but after he was advised by VAR to study replays, he upgraded the yellow card to a red. Albion boss Slaven Bilic hopes his club will appeal against the decision.
Footage indicated that Pereira was pushed by Van Aanholt, and as he fell backwards he planted his right foot into the Dutchman’s midriff. Moments earlier, Conor Gallagher had equalised for West Brom after Darnell Furlong’s own-goal had given Palace an early lead, and before Pereira’s mistake they were on top.
‘I’m not happy with the way we reacted after 2-1 — we collapsed,’ said Albion boss Bilic. ‘ It shows that the red card had big psychological damage. The more you watch it, the less it looks a red card, but it was a reaction which gave the option to the referees and they took it straightaway, of course.’
After that Palace took control, with Zaha and Christian Benteke — with his first goals since July — scoring second-half doubles.
‘He was a bit disappointed when I took him off with 10 minutes to go because he wanted a hat-trick and that is a good sign,’ said boss Roy Hodgson of Zaha. ‘ He has added goals to his game this year and is always looking to shoot.’
West Brom have now conceded 23 goals in 11 matches since promotion and though Pereira’s red card was a decisive factor in this result, they were demolished after the break.
Bilic’s relationship with the club hierarchy has been extremely strained since he led them out of the Championship, and this was their seventh defeat in 11.
What would the Croatian give for a player like Zaha? Palace failed to score in either of the games that Zaha missed and it did not take him long to break that duck. When Palace won a free-kick in the fifth minute, Luka Milivojevic caught West Brom napping and found Zaha with a short pass. The Ivorian drilled in a low cross and, in attempting to cut it out, Furlong could only divert the ball into his own net.
But Albion responded positively. Furlong hit the bar with a header and then created the equaliser for
Gallagher with a cut cut-back back that the on-loan Chelsea midfielder drove in from 15 yards. That filled West Brom with optimism, before Pereira’s rush of blood cost them.
Albion thought they should have had penalties for fouls on Branislav Ivanovic and Gallagher either side of half- time, but soon after James McArthur had bundled over Gallagher, he set up the second for Zaha to whip brilliantly beyond Sam Johnstone.
Five minutes later, Jeff Schlupp found Van Aanholt with a neat reverse pass and Benteke headed in the cross at the near post.
Eberechi Eze slalomed through the middle in the 67th minute and, when he could not apply the finish himself, Zaha swept it past Johnstone from close range. Zaha tore off his gloves in frustration when Hodgson took him off with the game won won, sending on Michy Batshuayi.
There was still time for Palace to rub salt into the wound when Benteke found space inside the box to drive in his second. WEST BROMWICH (3-4-1-2): Johnstone 6; Ajayi 5.5, Ivanovic 5.5, Bartley 6; Furlong 6, Sawyers 5 (O’Shea 80min), Gallagher 6.5, Phillips 6; Pereira 4; Diangana 5 (Krovinovic 46, 5), Grant 5 (Robinson 62, 6). Subs not used: Button, Gibbs, Grosicki, Austin. Scorer: Gallagher 30. Booked: Sawyers, Gallagher. Sent off: Pereira. Manager: Slaven Bilic 5.5. CRYSTAL PALACE (4-4-2): Guaita 6; Clyne 6, Kouyate 7, Cahill 7, Van Aanholt 7; Schlupp 6.5 (Ayew 74, 6), McArthur 7 (Riedewald 73, 6), Milivojevic 6.5, Eze 7; Benteke 7.5, ZAHA 8 (Batshuayi 81). Subs not used: Butland, Ward, Townsend, Sakho. Scorers: Furlong 8 (og), Zaha 55, 68, Benteke 59, 82. Booked: McArthur, Milivojevic. Manager: Roy Hodgson 7.5. Referee: Paul Tierney 6.