LUKA FILLS VOID
Palace finally find way to win without Wilf
DO NOT think this is a typing error. Yes, Crystal Palace won a Premier League game without Wilfried Zaha.
The last time that happened was away at Sunderland on September 24, 2016. Since then, Palace had lost all 13 games in which Zaha was absent before yesterday.
At l ast, that statistic can be shelved.
Whi l e the suspended Zaha watched on from the stands, Palace lifted the curse, with this win coming courtesy of their one and only shot on target at Selhurst Park.
It was Luka Milivojevic who scored the goal in the 39th minute, although the lack of bite from Palace’s two front men was alarming over the 90 minutes.
Jordan Ayew looked lost, like someone accidentally left in the stadium after closing time and scrambling to find a way out.
Andros Townsend looked like a winger asked to do the job of a striker, which is precisely what he is.
So, in the absence of any attacking threat, Milivojevic stepped up. The club captain curled in a 25-yard strike that secured what could turn out to be a crucial Premier League win.
‘It’s a fact, of course,’ said Roy Hodgson of the ridiculous Zaha statistic which has haunted them. ‘Like all facts there are often stories behind it. It’s nice to put that one to bed.
‘It was never going to be pretty, because it was not likely to be open. Neither team allowed that, but it was a spectacular goal to win it. It was a goal worthy of winning any game.’
Milivojevic’s strike really was a diamond in the rough. Quality was in short supply in this match.
Hodgson had made a strange request at his pre- match press conference — as if he was King Leonidas rallying his troops in the film ‘300’. Hodgson told his squad to make sure they were the ones bathing in the losers’ blood, rather than the other way around.
They were bathing, all right, although it was in the pouring rain of south London. Whatever Hodgson had said to his players in private did not ignite any passion in the opening half-hour.
By that point, we had witnessed one shot — a wild effort from Wilfred Ndidi. Other than that, there had been nothing worth mentioning from either side.
Leicester manager Claude Puel concurred, saying: ‘ The first 30 minutes was too poor, without the right intensity.
‘We did not manage to start the game with the fighting spirit. We needed to fight.’
Then, finally, some action. Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita got his feet tangled, Jamie Vardy sensed an opportunity to steal the ball and did so, before tapping into the vacant net.
Trouble is, referee Michael Oliver deemed he had felled the Premier League debutant in order to pinch possession.
Vardy then tested Guaita with a tame header — the game’s first ef f ort on t arget in t he 32nd minute.
Then, out of nowhere, Palace had the lead. To tell the truth, it was undeserved based on their firsthalf performance, although you could not fault the strike from Milivojevic. It was Palace’s first shot — on or off target — but what a way to wake Selhurst Park up.
Milivojevic was 25 yards from his target, took a touch of the ball then whipped it beyond Kasper Schmeichel.
Since his Premier League debut in February 2017, Milivojevic has scored more times for Palace than any other player. Alarming as that statistic may be, considering he is a midfielder, this was a sweet 16th from the Serbian.
‘I think we can prevent this goal,’ said Puel afterwards. ‘I think we deserved to come back into the game.
‘A draw would have been a fair result. We were unlucky.’
Hodgson’s side had their half-time lead, as surprising as it was, and they sensed a chance to put that Zaha jinx to bed.
The last meeting between Palace and Leicester saw the Eagles win 5-0, as they all but ensured Premier League safety. Six of the beaten starting team from that day were in Puel’s line-up here.
Vardy was one of them and with 10 minutes remaining, he had only Guaita to beat in order to equalise. On an angle, he sent a powerful toepoke t owards goal, which t he keeper pushed on to the post.
The ball bounced back into play and could have gone anywhere. Luckily for Palace, it rolled into Guaita’s arms as he was lying on the ground.
Vardy smacked the crossbar with his fist in frustration. It had been that kind of day for the visitors.
As the full-time whistle went, a drenched Hodgson walked down the touchline and lifted his fist towards the fans in celebration.
Goodbye Zaha curse, hello one reason to be cheerful ahead of facing Manchester City away next weekend.