Wilfried Zaha is the kind of player that makes things happen; a goal, a killer pass, a pulse of anticipation, a flicker of panic. He is the kind of player that makes a difference; a game-changer and a match-winner, and if Crystal Palace are to extend their residence in the Premier League, you get the impression it may hang on him. Zaha is the kind of player that makes managers purr and opponents squirm.

Zaha has missed nine of Palace’s league fixtures this season and his team have failed to grasp a single point from any of them. His return to their starting XI after a knee injury sustained at the beginning of last month, and which was supposed to rule him out for the