Roy Hodgson said he would celebrate Crystal Palace's first win of the Premier League season with a glass a wine, and the veteran manager should certainly raise a toast to Wilfried Zaha, who was sensational on his return to the Eagles starting line-up, as the 24-year-old scythed through the Chelsea defence with aplomb to grab the winner in a fine 2-1 win for Palace over the reigning champions.
Zaha picked up a knee injury in the first game of the season, and has watched from the stands as his side racked up the unenviable record of seven defeats from seven matches, duly conceding 17 goals, and failing to score in any of those losses. But, the return of Zaha on Saturday afternoon saw a toothless Eagles side suddenly ooze attacking flare as Zaha, and fellow attacking forward Andros Townsend, caused havoc in the Chelsea defence, and it was Zaha who bagged the winning goal, as he strode in from the left-hand side of the Chelsea area, and coolly slotted the ball past the on-rushing Thibaut Courtois.
Christian Benteke has left a void in the Palace frontline, and the Belgian is set to be out for another month with a knee injury picked up in a 5-0 defeat against Manchester City, but Hodgson can now look forward to Saturday's clash with Newcastle United, as the return of Zaha has reinvigorated his team in an attacking sense, and provided the former Manchester United man can stay fit for the foreseeable future then he could prove to be the catalyst for Crystal Palace's safety.
An academy graduate from Crystal Palace, Zaha is one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League, when on form, and he showed at the weekend that there were no ill-effects from his injury, and his pace and trickery is sure to frighten every single defender in the division. He played in 35 of Crystal Palace's 38 Premier League games last season, scoring seven goals, and assisting nine, and he showed that his partnership with the aforementioned Townsend could prove to be a fruitful one in the coming weeks, and with Hodgson likely to give that pair licence to roam free in the attacking third then their recent run of form could be long forgotten come Christmas time, and Palace could well be out of the bottom three.
6 take-ons
3 shots
2 chances created
2 tackles won
1 goal
Match-winner. 🔵🔴
Zaha A Huge Loss For England
A day after his 20th birthday, Wilfried Zaha was called up to the full England squad by his current boss Roy Hodgson, after impressing for the under 21's. Brought on as a second-half substitute for Raheem Sterling in a friendly against Sweden, Zaha was only ever to don the Three Lions jersey one further time, as he expressed his will to play for Ivory Coast by contacting FIFA towards the end of 2016.
Having fallen out of favour at Manchester United, only making two appearances in a two-year spell at the Premier League heavyweights between 2013-15, Zaha elected to change his allegiances to Ivory Coast, the country of his birth, and it was only then that the English FA decided to try and make Zaha change his mind.
Now, in light of Zaha's majestic performance at the weekend, it's surely now that the powers above in FA towers rue Zaha's decision to play for Ivory Coast, who face a crucial tie with Morocco next month, as they try to book their place at the World Cup in Russia next year.
England lack that mercurial, attacking flare that Zaha possesses, and he would be the ideal addition to the Three Lions World Cup squad, as Gareth Southgate's current crop of internationals lack any bravery or ability to create chances from nothing, and instead of Zaha potentially cutting in from the flanks providing Harry Kane with openings, it's Ivory Coast that will have the gem that is Wilfried Zaha, and it could be something that comes back to haunt England, who would relish the chance to be able to have such an exquisite talent within their ranks.
