Seagulls get both barrels from Zaha — on and off pitch
USUALLY an interview with a player on his club’s website would be polite, respectful, PR-friendly. When it came to Brighton, however, Wilfried Zaha refused to hold back.
‘Let’s beat them then they can just go back to wherever they came from,’ the Crystal Palace winger said before this game, as if disgusted by the sheer sight of the Seagulls badge.
Zaha was a man of his word. The 25-year-old tormented Brighton’s defenders in this M23 derby, scoring twice in a 3-2 win that leaves Palace six points clear of the Premier League’s bottom three.
It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it football in the first-half as all five goals were scored within a 30-minute bracket. After the break, it was all about Palace holding on.
‘It’s nice to come into a dressing room and my office knowing that, yes, it could have gone pear-shaped for us in the second-half, but it didn’t on this occasion,’ said Roy Hodgson, the Palace manager.
‘Wilf has been in superb form this season. I’m pretty certain that many England managers who will follow me will say it’s a pity he chose the Ivory Coast.
‘What step can he take to get himself up there recognised like Alexis Sanchez? Eden Hazard is recognised at Chelsea. What’s he going to do to make that step?’
This was certainly a start. Selhurst Park was like a volcano ready to erupt as the players walked out so when Zaha scored in the fifth minute, the place shook.
A corner taken short by Luka Milivojevic led to a low cross being blasted in. It was too hot to handle for Mathew Ryan, the Brighton goalkeeper, and Zaha had a tap-in.
Less than 10 minutes later, it was 2-0 after an almighty scramble in the area ended with the ball forced over the line by James Tomkins. Brighton boss Chris Hughton was left less than impressed.
‘I don’t think you can explain that first-half defending,’ he said. ‘You work as a coach during the week on set-pieces with players… that was hugely disappointing.’
Worryingly for Brighton, their final five fixtures are against Tottenham, Burnley, both Manchester clubs then Liverpool. Play like this and they may not be in the Premier League next season.
The visitors had not ventured out of their own half but won a corner in the 18th minute and made it count. Weak marking allowed Lewis Dunk to head the ball to former Palace forward Glenn Murray, who hooked in a shot from a yard out.
Hughton had shown his fury on the sidelines. His mood was not made better by the sight of Zaha scoring the first Premier League header of his career.
A deep cross by Milivojevic should have been handled by Ezequiel Schelotto but Zaha escaped him easily and headed beyond Ryan at the back post.
Brighton were lucky to be left with 10 men on the field after Dale Stephens, already on a yellow, chopped down Zaha. Referee Andre Marriner only gave him a warning though.
Just as the Selhurst faithful fell quiet to catch their breath, Brighton made it 3-2 after a through-ball by Jurgen Locadia found Jose Izquierdo — the Colombian coolly curling the ball into the far corner.
Brighton were on top in the second-half and Murray volleyed a shot that went wide by a yard on the hour mark.
In stoppage time, he snatched at another shot, and in that moment the M23 derby bragging rights were Palace’s.