Zaha Double Secures First Win Of Season For Palace

A blistering comeback after going a goal down ensured the hosts took all three points, but more than that it was the performance that caught the eye with a number of individuals starring in the victory.

DATE/VENUE

20^th August 2022 – Selhurst Park, Holmesdale Road, London SE25 6PU

RESULT

Crystal Palace 3-1 Aston Villa

PLAYER RATINGS

UNUSED SUBSTITUTES – 17 Nathaniel CLYNE, 21 Sam JOHNSTONE, 23 Malcolm EBIOWEI, 41 Joe WHITWORTH

OPPOSITION LINE-UP

UNSED SUBSTITUTES – 17 Ludwig AUGUSTINSSON, 25 Robin OLSEN, 19 Marvelous NAKAMBA, 18 Ashley YOUNG, 16 Calum CHAMBERS, 35 Cameron ARCHER

BOB’S POINT OF VIEW

Bob White was a coach at Palace under the tenure of Steve Coppell and Alan Smith and will be sharing his point of view each week in our review article.

“I believe today we witnessed one of our most dominant performances at Selhurst Park in recent times. The intensity of our approach was there from the first whistle which was confirmed by how quickly we responded to the disappointment of going a goal down so early. Once we had equalised, after a fine solo run and finish by Wilfried Zaha, there was only one team who were going to gain all three points.

The only question was whether we could convert the clear chances being created on a regular basis in a very entertaining and open game. Even a disallowed goal did not stop the flow of goal scoring opportunities and we were well rewarded for our offensive play in the second half.

Our superbly worked third goal, created by Tyrick Mitchell and converted by Jean-Philippe Mateta, was arguably one of the best seen at Selhurst over the past year. The game also confirmed that we could set up in different ways. A back four rather than a back five like at Anfield, which gives Vieira more flexibility in our tactical shape going forward.

Overall, a very consistent team performance where it would be fair to say, each player earned at least a 7/10 assessment. However, special mentions should be made of Eberechi Eze and Zaha who were head and shoulders above every other player on the pitch. Their combination play down the left flank was of the very highest quality. In the midst of a potentially tough run of fixtures, the three points were very welcome in establishing a good foundation for the next stage of our season.”

TEB VERDICT

The Eagles followed an excellent point at Anfield with a very well deserved three point at home to Villa. It did not start well after the visitors took the lead early on but their lead only last for two minutes, and Palace never looked back even after a disallowed goal. Wilfried Zaha starred with a brace while Eberechi Eze put in a performance of pure class in the middle of the park. Elsewhere, Cheick Doucoure continues to improve and again showed us just what we can look forward to over the coming season. At times, the football being played was scintillating, particularly the move that ended with JP Mateta putting the ball into the next just a minutes after leaving the bench, and while it was an entertaining game, the Eagles took a deserved victory.

POST GAME QUOTES

PATRICK VIEIRA – “It was a really good performance. From the first minute, we were into the game. We wanted to play with a lot of intensity, to press them high, to win the ball as high as we can and today, we did it.

We went through a difficult period in the game, but we managed to keep our calm and organisation. I was really pleased with the attitude we showed and we showed some quality as well.

We always have different tests in any games and going 1-0, we needed to answer straight away. The best way to do it is to keep going forward and with the next chance, Wilfried scored a fantastic goal. That helped us to get back into the game straight away.”

STEVEN GERRARD – “We started extremely well. We got ourselves in front and scored a good goal, but we never kept the lead for long enough. We allowed Palace back into the game too soon.

We got to half time at 1-1 and the game is in the balance. We were well in the game for an hour and the big turning point is the penalty. We didn’t defend long balls well enough, we didn’t win enough individual duels at the right times in the big moments. I’m not standing here complaining or saying we deserved to win, but for large parts of the game, we were well in it.

We hit the bar at a key time too, so the moment didn’t go our way today and that’s the reason why we’re on the wrong side of the result. I need to get on the training pitch with this team and drill them more, push them more and challenge them more and hopefully we’ll improve from it.”

MATCH STATISTICS

POSITION IN THE TABLE

UPCOMING FIXTURES

23/08/22 Oxford United (a) – League Cup (7.45pm)

27/08/22 Manchester City (a) – Premier League (3pm)

30/08/22 Brentford (h) – Premier League (7.30pm)