Zaha’s reminder of his true value to Palace
WANTAWAY STAR STILL IN THE WINDOW
WILFRIED ZAHA needed 13 league games to get his first goal for Crystal Palace last season.
And the want-away winger’s wastefulness in front of goal is perhaps one of the reasons no one has been persuaded to meet the Eagles’ valuation of him yet.
This time out he needed just 13 minutes to get off the mark with the only goal of the game against Southampton.
And if he can bag two or three more in the next five weeks then maybe, just maybe he can tempt a bigger club into parting with the sort of sum that would get him the move he has been dreaming of.
For now, though, he’s still very much the main man at Selhurst Park and no wonder Eagles boss Roy Hodgson was chuffed to bits that he had delivered.
“Wilf showed a lot of composure to take the chance,” said Hodgson. “He made it look easy.
“He thinks it would be nice if some club came in and paid the market price — let’s see what transpires, hopefully nothing.
“He still hopes a big club comes in and takes him from us but we hope he’ll stay.
“The fact is every transfer window I’ve been involved in Wilf has made noises.
“But for anything to happen then a club has to come along and pay the market price, and until that time I’m happy to keep working with Wilf.”
Hodgson was also delighted with Vicente Guaita’s contribution, particularly a save from Danny Ings in the second half.
While James McCarthy and James McArthur were very good in the middle of the park.
Hodgson added: “I am very pleased. It was always going to be a tough opening fixture for us and I’m pleased about the way we approached it.
“And I have to take my hat off to our goalkeeper for making a fantastic save from Danny Ings.”
Referee Jon Moss and VAR Craig Pawson deserved a doff of the cap as well after Moss initially showed Kyle Walker-Peters a straight red for what he deemed a studs-up challenge on Tyrick
Mitchell early in the second half.
As per the guidance this season, Moss soon went over to his pitchside monitor and, after checking the replay, he downgraded the card, correctly, to a yellow.
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “I spoke about it last season how referees should go to the screen more often so this is absolutely better with the VAR now.
“It was definitely the right thing to go there to have a look again and also brave to say, ‘ No red card, just yellow’, it was the right decision.”
Palace had to work hard for their win with Southampton
Wilf thinks it would be nice if some club came in and paid the market price... let’s see what transpires... hopefully nothing
IN REVERSE Kyle Walker-Peters is shown red by Jon Moss but after pitch-side checking, it was reduced to yellow
enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
All too often, though, the visitors’ final pass wasn’t clinical enough and, on the two occasions it was, Guaita kept out a volley from Che Adams and then a header from Ings.
Saints’ best chance of the first half fell early on to Jack Stephens but his header from James WardProwse’s corner lacked power
and the excellent Guaita caught it easily.
And it wasn’t long after that Townsend broke down the right
and a good cross picked out Zaha, who tucked a cushioned volley home.
Zaha had a second goal
CRYSTAL PALACE: Guaita 7, Ward 6, Kouyate 7, Dann 7, Mitchell 6, Townsend 7, McArthur 6, McCarthy 7 (Milivojevic 75, 6), Schlupp 6 (Eze 81), Ayew 6, Zaha 7.
Subs not used: Hennessey, Meyer, Batshuayi, Kelly, Woods.
SOUTHAMPTON: McCarthy 6, Walker-Peters 6, Stephens 6, Bednarek 6 (Vestergaard 46, 6), Bertrand 6, Romeu 6, Ward-Prowse 6, Smallbone 6 (Djenepo 78), Adams 6 (Long 86), Redmond 6, Ings 6.
Subs not used: Forster, Obafemi, Tella, Vokins.
MAN OF THE MATCH: James McCarthy. A proper physical presence in the heart of Crystal Palace’s midfield. REFEREE: Jon Moss 7. chalked c out by VAR for offside s while, at the other end, Nathan N Redmond’s shot was easily saved, again by Guaita.
Palace kept their shape well to frustrate the visitors but as the Saints probed Adams and Ings both had decent openings, but again Guaita was alive to both of them.
Hasenhuttl added: “It was not the easiest game. We had a good start but then the first chance we conceded a goal.
“The first half was definitely not our best game because we were too slow.
“I changed it at half-time and it was much better.
“We had two or three very good chances for an equaliser but in the end the goalkeeper made a few good saves.”