The Match Of The Day pundit says the winger is having his best season yet. He may have a point.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring their second goal
Wilfried Zaha was named man-of-the-match as Crystal Palace moved further away from relegation concern with a surprise 2-1 win at leaders Chelsea.
The winger scored one and provided the assist for Christian Benteke’s winner as the Eagles came from 1-0 down to take all three points home from Stamford Bridge.
It was Palace’s fourth successive victory in the Premier League and opens up a four-point cushion between themselves and the drop zone.
Zaha has been a big part of that success and former striker turned pundit Alan Shearer says that the 24-year-old is finally realising the potential he showed as a youngster.
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha celebrates scoring their first goal
“Back in September I said that with his ability he should be producing more and the stats back it up,” Shearer said on Match Of The Day.
“He’s having by far his best season of his career. He’s now scoring goals, [providing] assists. You can see the confidence he has got now.”
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha in action with Watford’s Daryl Janmaat
The statistics do suggest Shearer has a point, with Zaha managing six goals and four assists in 79 top flight appearances before this season. In 26 league matches in 2016/17 so far he already has six goals and nine assists.
After a high profile move to Manchester United in 2013 actually looked to hinder his career, the Ivory Coast international is finally living up to the hype.
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