Zaha inspires Palace to draw with Bournemouth
LONDON: Wilfried Zaha wants out from Crystal Palace, and yet he was the inspiration in their 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in the English Premier League on Saturday.
Palace was shaken this week when Zaha asked manager Alan Pardew for a transfer to Tottenham. Pardew made him a substitute for the match, and Palace was lackluster and fortunate to concede only once in the first half.
Bournemouth's Harry Arter gathered Christian Benteke's casual clearance and lobbed it to Joshua King, who chested the ball down and booted it inside the far left post.
Looking for a goalscoring threat, Pardew sent in Zaha in the 66th minute, and the winger received a warm reception from the home crowd. He also lifted the attack, with his speed and confidence on the right constantly stretching Bournemouth's defense. It finally broke three minutes into injury time, when Jason Puncheon's cross was headed in by Scott Dann.