Palace players are still behind Zaha, claims Townsend

Not every player who makes it clear he wants a move away can expect to be welcomed back into a dressing room. Andros Townsend, though, confirmed after Crystal Palace had been held 0-0 by Everton that Wilfried Zaha’s continuing presence at Selhurst Park would not cause any friction with his team-mates.

Quite the opposite, in fact, with Townsend making no attempt to downplay the importance of a player who, he believes, has repeatedly been the biggest influence on the club’s success in finishing clear of the bottom three.

Zaha submitting a transfer request last week to try to force a move to Everton hardly helped Palace’s preparations ahead of their opening league game, not least because Roy Hodgson felt compelled to send the player home on Thursday ahead of the transfer deadline.

“It’s massive,” said Townsend. “Any side would be lucky to have a player like Wilf and the fact that we’ve kept him is great for the club. It gave everyone a big boost. I think you saw that extra enthusiasm and energy in our performance today.

“He’s been the same ever since I’ve been here. He’s been the difference, whether it’s been avoiding relegation, fighting for top 10. You saw when he came on he gave us an extra dimension. He’s a massively important player for us.”

Zaha will have been lifted by the reaction he received when he appeared as a 65th-minute substitute. Hodgson’s side improved throughout a game that saw Everton create a number of first-half chances before losing their way after an ankle injury forced Andre Gomes off just before half-time, but Palace were unable to take advantage when Morgan Schneiderlin was sent off in the 76th minute after collecting a second yellow card.

It was precisely the kind of game where a fully-focused Zaha might have made the difference and Hodgson indicated the winger could start at Sheffield United next Sunday. “It might take him a day or two to [get] over his disappointment,” said Hodgson. “But I don’t see any long-term problems with him coming back, he made himself available and he did what he did when he came on and that answers all questions really for me.”

Marco Silva admitted his frustration at his side’s failure to maintain their first-half performance and it could have been worse but for two fine saves from Jordan Pickford, the goalkeeper, in the second half.

“They came at a crucial part of the game when Palace were getting into it,” said Pickford. “I train hard all week to make saves when called upon. In the two one-against-ones I was positive and trusted my ability to make the saves. It is on the striker to score or miss, but I was delighted to make the saves.”