A strong performance from Wilfried Zaha helped Crystal Palace secure a 3-1 win over Norwich at Carrow Road last night.
Zaha put Palace ahead before half-time, with Pardew’s men able to double the advantage through Damien Delaney just after half-time. Norwich hit back after a long shot from Nathan Redmond, which should have been saved by goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, but Yohan Cabaye wrapped up the result for the Eagles, finding the net right on full-time.
The Zaha Effect
The hosts had the better start to the game, with Palace unable to really find their footing for the first ten minutes. The first chance came after a mistake at the back by McCarthy lead to the ball hitting the back of the net after a pass from Lewis Grabban found Jonny Howson, however, the midfielder was ruled offside.
It was not until the Eagles were able to get Zaha into the game, finding much more success on the ball when their play was moving through the Ivorian. Zaha set up Pape Souare down the wing to put in a cross into the box which eventuated in Glenn Murray finding a shot on goal. He then scored one of his own after being picked out unmarked by Jason Puncheon on the back post, a volley that left John Ruddy helpless.
Norwich playing a high pressing game
A big contributor to the slow start by Palace was their inability to get into the game due to the high-press that Norwich were implementing. That led to the mistake from McCarthy for the Howson chance, and when the line started to have less of an impact it allowed Palace the opportunity to flourish.
If Norwich are able to do this for an entire game they will be difficult to deal with for the teams that could find themselves fighting to stay in the Premier League come the end of the season.
However, one thing that they will need to work on is conversion in front of goal. They could have taken the lead through some good passing at the edge of the area and then finding Grabban inside the six yard box, but he agonisingly missed from right in front. They outshot Palace 15-9, yet they only had six of those shots on target compared to Palace’s seven.
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A tough debut for a referee
This game was at times a difficult one to officiate for Simon Hooper, making his Premier League debut. A couple of hard tackles, first by Murray who was lucky to escape with only a verbal warning, sparking a confrontation with players from each side. The second instance saw Alex Tettey get booked for a tackle on Souare, although his Norwich teammates would claim Souare was making the most of it.
The most controversial moment of the game came when Norwich had the chance to level from a free-kick. After a goal mouth scramble Cameron Jerome looked to have levelled the game at 2-2, however, the goal was ruled out due to a high boot. But when looking at the replay, it appeared as if it was a tough call and the goal should have stood.
The Canaries were again at the wrong end of the referee decision that would have given them the opportunity to draw level. Sebastien Bassong was in a great position to get a header on target, yet a strong Connor Wickham push from behind that should have resulted in a penalty to the home side was waved away despite some serious protest from the Norwich players, even goalkeeper Ruddy getting involved.
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