Hodgson hails Zaha after win at Turf Moor
Roy Hodgson praised Wilfried Zaha after his goalscoring performance against Burnley and is bracing himself for the opening of another transfer window.
Zaha handed in a transfer request in the summer, but Palace rejected offers from Arsenal and Everton to keep the 27-year-old at Selhurst Park.
Chairman Steve Parish has said he would allow Zaha to leave in January for the right club at the right price, and the winger has been in impressive form.
After scoring a belated first goal of the season in last weekend’s defeat by Liverpool, Zaha netted the opener just before half-time, with sub Jeff Schlupp adding a second in a 2-0 win.
Hodgson said: “He’s a good player, isn’t he? He’s capable of causing problems to any defence anywhere in the world.
“When he’s in good form like he is, when he’s as concentrated as he was today – because his performance wasn’t only good going forward, it was also good defensively.
“And, of course, the goal that he scored and one or two chances that he helped set up, that’s what we need from him. Good for Wilf, that’s two goals in two games and, if he can keep that up, it will help us enormously to climb the table,” he added.
Southampton picked up a first home win in nine league games with a dramatic 2-1 victory which leaves fellow strugglers Watford languishing at the bottom.
Saints almost gifted the away side an opener inside two minutes, but Hornets record signing Sarr fired straight at Alex McCarthy after seizing on a sloppy pass from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
Senegal forward Sarr, recalled in place of Andre Gray following last week’s 3-0 home loss to Burnley, was not so wasteful with his next opportunity and opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a maiden league goal since a reported £30million move from Rennes.
Hornets captain Etienne Capoue volleyed Kiko Femenia’s throw-in over the top and Sarr outpaced Jack Stephens before coolly slotting beyond McCarthy.
Watford defender Craig Cathcart hooked off the line to deny Shane Long as the Saints pressure increased, before top scorer Ings sparked the turnaround by prodding his seventh league goal of the season into the roof of the net from close range with 12 minutes remaining.
And the comeback was complete just five minutes later when Ward-Prowse curled into the top-left corner from 20 yards out.