Zaha stays cool amid chaos to steer Palace away from danger
After Wilfried Zaha provided yet more evidence that he is the key to Crystal Palace’s hopes of avoiding relegation, Roy Hodgson reflected on England’s loss ahead of this summer’s World Cup.
Zaha’s two goals in a frantic, chaotic first half that defined the outcome of a meeting between clubs fighting to remain clear of the bottom three ensured Palace moved to within one point of Brighton and six points clear of the bottom three.
His contribution to his club’s campaign can be summed up by the statistic that they have failed to claim a single point in the 10 league games that he has missed.
On this occasion, the winger put Palace ahead after five minutes and then restored their two-goal lead midway through the half after team-mate James Tomkins and Brighton’s Glenn Murray had scored.
Then, when Brighton attempted to find a second-half equaliser after Jose Izquierdo had reduced the deficit in the 34th minute, Zaha frequently helped relieve the pressure on his side’s back four. “Last season he really stepped up and helped the team survive,” said Roy Hodgson, the Palace manager. “He’s doing the same this season and we can’t ask any more.’’
Had Zaha not switched international allegiance, despite winning two caps in friendlies when Hodgson was in charge England, he would be contention for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad and the Palace manager admits England’s loss is Ivory Coast’s gain.
“I’m partly responsible because I gave him his debut, and then he was at Manchester United not playing and we didn’t follow up on it,” said Hodgson. “I bear some responsibility there, but I’m pretty certain that many England managers will follow me in saying it’s a pity that he did choose the Ivory Coast.”
Zaha’s primary concern right now is keeping Palace up and this victory reinforced the sense that Hodgson’s side are building momentum after last weekend’s draw at Bournemouth.
Both these sides face a nervous end to the season but, on paper, Brighton have the more daunting run-in that includes Tuesday’s home meeting with Tottenham Hotspur and meetings with the rest of the top four and Burnley. Southampton’s defeat earlier in the day means Chris Hughton’s side remain seven points clear.
“If you’re talking about confidence staying up, we’ve always been confident,” said Hughton, the Brighton manager. “It’s a difficult period for us at the moment, but there’s enough in our game that gives us confidence we can get results.” The tone of the first half was set when Brighton switched off when Luka Milivojevic played a short corner towards Ruben LoftusCheek who had time to play a return pass to the Serb who drilled in a low cross that Zaha turned in from a yard out. Nine minutes later they did not deal with another corner, and Tomkins stabbed home. A third goal in 12 minutes, Brighton’s first, came when Murray hooked in from a corner. The frantic start was painful viewing for both managers, especially Hughton who had to watch Zaha head the 24thminute third before Izquierdo gave Brighton fresh hope 10 minutes later. Brighton controlled the second half but a late Murray miss meant Zaha’s efforts were not wasted. Crystal Palace (4-4-2) Hennessy 7; Ward 6, Tomkins 7, Sakho 6, van Aanholt 6; McArthur 7, Cabaye 7 (Benteke 70,6), Milivojevic 8, Loftus-Cheek 7 (Riedewald 79); Townsend 6, Zaha 9. Subs Speroni, Sorloth, Lee, Wan-Bissaka, Kelly. Booked Hennessey, Milivojevic, Zaha. Brighton & Hove Albion (4-3-3) Ryan 6; Schelotto 6, Duffy 6, Dunk 6, Bong 6 (March 86); Gross 6 (Uloa 71), Stephens 6, Kayal 6; Izquierdo 6, Gross 6, Locadia 6 (Knockaert 46); Murray 6. Subs Krul, Saltor, Baldock, Goldson. Booked Kayal, Stephens. Referee A Marriner (Birmingham).