Zaha wins Palace fans’ backing but 10-man Everton stand firm
Any fears that Wilfried Zaha might face a backlash from Crystal Palace supporters proved unfounded. The reception given to the winger when he appeared as a second-half substitute confirmed his popularity here is undiminished, despite attempting to force a move away from the club last week.
Manager Roy Hodgson admitted events last week, when Zaha was denied a move to Everton, contributed to his decision to put Zaha on the bench.
Zaha’s introduction in the 63rd minute contributed to a Palace performance that became more convincing as the game progressed – and particularly when Everton’s Morgan Schneiderlin was sent off after collecting a second yellow card for a foul on Luka Milivojevic in the 76th minute.
“He handled it very well but the crowd helped, it was such a great reception,” said Hodgson “It was nice to have him available to give another dimension to our play. He was excellent this morning, no problem at all as you can tell by watching the game. That situation has been and gone and Wilf will make certain he brings his straw to the water and helps us have a good season, just like he has done in the previous two seasons.”
Marco Silva insisted his focus was on the players he had at his disposal and not the one that got away. The Everton manager, who did not include any of his new signings in his starting line-up, believed his side had done enough to win the game in the first half when Gylfi Sigurdsson and Seamus Coleman both squandered good chances, but claimed the balance of the game shifted when Andre Gomes was forced from the field immediately before the break.
“In the first half we were clearly the best team on the pitch. During that period was the key moment in the game in my opinion, the injury to Andre Gomes,” he said. “Until that moment we were solid and playing well and creating chances.” Silva introduced Moise Kean, the striker signed from Juventus, to little effect while losing Schneiderlin clearly did not help. “I don’t doubt the second was a foul. The first was not a foul at all,” said the manager.