When will magic Eze spread his wings?

EBERECHI EZE is a player who should be spending the month of May competing for more than the mere renewal of top-flight status, and that day will come.

But for now, the 22-year-old is the reason Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace will be spending a ninth straight season in the Premier League.

Eze’s afternoon was bookended by the creation of one goal and scoring another, and he dictated everything in between. Yes, Sheffield United somehow f ound a way t o serve up a performance worse than the garbage t hat has al r eady stained their sorry season, but that does not take away from Eze’s brilliance.

To score the goal he did two minutes from time owed everything to his talent, as opposed to the apparent lack of it among the opposition. He killed both the ball and the spirit of John Lundstram as he skipped by the midfielder on the touchline deep inside his own half. From there he glided at will as United’s backline ran scared and, after drifting into the penalty area, his shot was deflected in via a sliding John Fleck. But the goal belonged to Eze, and how he deserved it.

‘We preach to him that we want to see that quality,’ said Hodgson. ‘We will never criticise him if he tries it and it doesn’t come off.

‘Today, he was bold when he got the ball. He drove us forward. He got his reward with a goal and assist, and we got ours with the win.’

Eze is an England Under 21 regular but has not featured in many conversations ahead of the European Championship. On this evidence, he is perhaps one or two injuries away from elevation to Gareth Southgate’s senior ranks.

Hodgson was relaxed on the prospect of that, but he was far more affirmative when asked if this summer could see Eze attract interest from higher up the league. ‘I am not contemplating that,’ he said. ‘ He has been here one season. We signed him for £15m plus £5m (from QPR) and that is a big investment. The club will work hard to make sure any interest is warded off. We did not bring him in to make a small profit at the end of his first season.’

In fairness, they would probably make a handsome profit.

Palace’s opener came on the back of Eze’s daring venture into enemy territory. The midfielder’s zest left a trail of defenders looking leg weary, and given we were only 70 seconds in that was quite an achievement.

He squared for Christian Benteke rather than take aim himself and the striker’s low steer was deflected in by defender George Baldock. The goal was Benteke’s seventh of the campaign and bettered his tally from the last three seasons combined.

Those numbers do make you wonder how the Belgian is still employed at this level, and surely a goalscorer is the club’s transfer priority this summer. Without one, the likes of Eze will soon lose interest in the Palace project.

Winger Jeffrey Schlupp certainly looked frustrated with Benteke’s failure to convert a sixyard header from his delivery. It looked like Aaron Ramsdale’s flying save had excused the frontman, but he should have been planting his effort beyond the goalkeeper’s reach from that range. Eze finished the half how he started it, by running at terrified defenders. He again made it into the area with ease and when he shimmied clear of John Egan’s belated resistance his shot grazed the base of the post.

As for the hosts, their sole moment of quality from an otherwise desperate first half had been Ramsdale’s save from Benteke. At least that kept them in the game and, entering the second half, the Blades were better, even if the bar for improvement was as low as their position in the table.

Eze remained the outstanding player. At times it looked as if he was holding onto the ball too long, but that was more a confidence derived from the fact he knew United could not get it off him. Rather than get rid, he preferred to delay in search of options.

And few were complaining when he kept the ball all to himself as he scored the goal to keep his side in the division.

For how much longer Palace can keep Eze is up for debate.