Wilfried Zaha may have played his last game of the season for Crystal Palace after he suffered a horrific injury that saw him leave the pitch in tears.
The player got a groin injury after stretching for the ball in the first half of the match against Leicester City. The Ivory Coast winger went straight into the dressing room immediately he was substituted by Roy Hodgson.
Hodgson confessed in the post-match interview that he doesn’t know whether Wilfried Zaha will be able to play for the club again this season, as Crystal Palace are looking forward to avoiding relegation.
He claimed muscle strains can be a long job, but they are waiting for confirmation and advice from the medical staff. Wilfried Zaha’s body is said to always heal fast and doesn’t like to be off the pitch for a long time.
In addition, if anybody must stay fit at Palace right now, that person must be Wilfried Zaha because he is one of the players who could help Palace survive relegation this season.
How Crystal Palace defeated Leicester City upon Roy Hodgson’s return
The 90+4 minutes were enough for Hodgson to get his first win as the new manager of Crystal Palace.
The returning Leicester defender Ricardo Pereira scored a beautiful goal in the 56th minute to put Leicester City ahead in the second half, with Crystal Palace fans looking sad about the chances given by the club defenders.
England U-21 forward Eze, scored an exceptional free kick against Leicester City as his shot went beyond Leicester City goalkeeper Daniel Iversen.
Hodgson’s team was stronger after the first goal, as they started pushing for the second one. Jean-Philippe Mateta came on in the 86th minute and scored the winner in the 94th minute.
He was given a yellow card for celebrating wildly with the fans. It was Crystal Palace’s first victory in 2023 and after sacking their manager, Patrick Vieira.
It was a total dominance on the Crystal Palace side, with 51% ball possession, 31 shots, and nine shots on target against struggling Leicester City.
In addition, Leicester City are already in the relegation zone after suffering six defeats in seven matches. It has been a poor season for Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers reacted to the shocking defeat, stating they defended well in the first half but failed to play well all through the match. The foxes were excellent in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
To concede a goal in the last minute of the match was not good enough for the Leicester City side, with Rodgers now facing being removed by the Leicester City board due to the poor performance.
A team that won the Premier League in 2016 and got to the Champions League for the first time should not play in the Championship next season.
How will Crystal Palace survive the relegation battle without Wilfried Zaha? Please air your views in the comment section below.
