Wilfried Zaha suffered injury scare before inspiring Crystal Palace to crucial win over Brighton

At the double: Zaha embraces Townsend after his brace helped down rivals Brighton
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Giuseppe Muro16 April 2018

Wilfried Zaha shook off an injury scare to help Crystal Palace beat Brighton and move closer to Premier League safety.

Zaha scored twice to help secure a 3-2 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday but he had been rated touch-and-go for the game because of a minor problem he suffered in training last week.

The victory moved Palace six points clear of the relegation zone and manager Roy Hodgson said: “Wilfried has stepped up in a bid to help the team survive.”

In Zaha’s absence this season, Palace have failed to claim a point and his importance to the Eagles was again highlighted by his man-of-match display against Brighton.

Last month, Zaha returned to fitness following what Hodgson described as a “remarkable” five-week recovery from knee ligament damage. Palace feared he would not be back until the final few games of the season.

The Ivory Coast star worked hard to get back ahead of schedule and he has been a key man in helping Palace move clear of the bottom three.

Zaha has played with knocks on several occasions this season in his bid to help Palace survive and he again pulled through to make the difference against Brighton.

“Wilf is Wilf,” said Palace defender James Tomkins. “He turns games on his own. He’s massively important to the team and he showed that on Saturday.

“We are fortunate to have him. He does not shy away from running at defenders. He is a defender’s worst nightmare at times, when he is running at them at the speed he does and with the skill he has.

“He could play for any team in the Premier League. We are just lucky to have him.”

In Pictures | Crystal Palace vs Brighton | 14/04/2018

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Palace have now secured 34 points and Tomkins believes they need four more from their remaining four games to secure survival.

“This is just one victory towards safety,” he said. “We still need another win and maybe a draw. It is a bit of daylight now but we need to focus on the next game against Watford.”

Hodgson, meanwhile, has said he would be interested in signing Ruben Loftus-Cheek on a permanent deal from Chelsea if Palace stay up.

Hodgson said: “Let’s work hard to stay in this league. Then I am sure we would be saying to Ruben, ‘Is it worth having the conversation with Chelsea? Could you consider?’ Then, of course, we will will see from there.”

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