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Crystal Palace Fan View: Eagles secure safety in style
This time last weekend, survival was in touching distance. Now Crystal Palace can bask in the achievement of assuring our safety before the end of the season, a far cry from the truly cataclysmic start we ‘enjoyed’ at the beginning of this season.
Because of that tumultuous start, I don’t think anybody would have cared how the points came. However, Crystal Palace breaking their record margin for a Premier League win in a home drubbing wasn’t a bad way to do it. As per usual, there was one man leading the charge – Wilfried Zaha.
AS IT UNFOLDED: Crystal Palace v Leicester
READ MORE: Zaha dazzles as Palace hammer Leicester
Wilfried Zaha’s magic…
Wilfried Zaha is one of the most influential players in the Premier League, period. The first goal he scored, the second goal he laid on for James McArthur and for the fourth he played Shlupp through on goal before his saved shot fell to van Aanholt. All that, plus the third, fourth and fifth came after he broke free of Leicester’s defence before being hauled down by a subsequently dismissed Marc Albrighton.
No recognised striker proved to be no problem with Zaha leading the line – chasing and harrying, tricking and goading the Leicester defence. He leads the way, sets the tone of play with his fluidity and without his panache we can look devoid of ideas going forward. Let’s hope he stays at Crystal Palace for a very long time.
READ MORE: Hodgson reckons Palace are safe after Leicester rout
Read more: Premier League survival is within touching distance
Read more: Zaha double helps Eagles to derby delight
Christian Benteke needs to come up with something before the end of the season
Had we been in any other situation apart from several goals in front, watching Christian Benteke take the ball from Luka Milivojevic would have been a worrying one. Then to slip as he connected with the ball…
That slip didn’t prevent him scoring, however that goal will not detract from his woeful inadequacy this season in so many facets of his game. On too many occasions has he failed to hold the ball up well enough and on too many occasions has he spurned gilt-edged chances. Week after week, month after month.
The fact of the matter is that with three games to play our first choice striker, who has had almost unchallenged access to a starting berth all season, has scored just three goals in the Premier League.
Where next?
Now our safety is virtually assured, our focus must switch to finishing as high as we possibly can. Todays’ victory moves Crystal Palace up to 11th, albeit with the teams below us having games in hand, and it’s 11th that has to be the target. Newcastle with a game in hand and 3 points ahead is a bridge too far at this stage I think, but if we could be the ‘best of the rest’ after things looked so dire just weeks ago that would do very nicely indeed.
It doesn’t have an inconsequential effect on prize money either. With £1.9 million available for every additional place come the end of the season there’s an £11.5 million difference between an 11th placed finish and a 17th placed one. Plus, it would be nice to finish above Brighton. Survival would have been their target at the start of the season, and to their credit they look like achieving that, but finishing above them would be a most welcome achievement.
