Crystal Palace eased off pressure with a spectacular win away at Watford with Wilfried Zaha the star on the night alongside Tyrick Mitchell and Conor Gallagher.
Crystal Palace desperately needed inspiration from somewhere and found four players who massively delivered on the night. Wilfried Zaha scored a brace, while Jean-Philippe Mateta and Conor Gallagher also got in on the act as the Eagles crushed relegation-threatened Hornets.
Such a positive result was imperative for Patrick Vieira as he brushed aside some pressure off his shoulders. Palace came to Vicarage Road on the back of six Premier League games without a win, and this result will certainly boost their survival hopes and build confidence.
While Watford are becoming one of the favourites for the drop, Palace were slowly inching towards the relegation zone conversation. Zaha, who we had billed as the player to watch in the build-up to this clash, delivered on the promise as he lifted his team from uncertain times.
Mateta opened the scoring after being reinstated into the side by Vieira. Moussa Sissoko equalised, and later, Gallagher restored the away side’s lead. While the game looked far from secure, Zaha’s brace helped secure all three points as Palace escaped their zone of uncertainty. Here’s how the Crystal Palace players fared against Watford in their win at Vicarage Road.
Jack Butland: 6/10
Butland was a steady presence in the box, although he needs to improve his handling. The Sissoko goal highlighted the problem of dealing with situations that would be otherwise avoidable by a Premier League goalkeeper.
Nathaniel Clyne: 5/10
Clyne should do better when opportunities like these come along. While his attacking play was evident and somewhat effective, he was struggling to cope with the threat of Dennis on the flank.
Joachim Andersen: 6.5/10
A very composed performance from the Danish defender, who was instrumental to Vieira’s style of playing out from the back. He did lose the corner for Sissoko’s equaliser, although he won’t fret too much over that considering the final result and overall defensive display.
Marc Guehi: 6/10
Guehi had a relatively quieter game compared to his centre-back partner. The young defender will be pleased with the game’s outcome, especially after he was captain for the first time. He effectively dealt with long balls and looked comfortable in preventing any viable threats from the opposition attackers.
Tyrick Mitchell: 8/10
Mitchell was a driving force on the left flank, often providing the outlet to push forward. He did have a good chance to score while providing Gallagher with the assist for the second goal.
??????? Tyrick Mitchell v. Watford
• 1 assist
• 1 big chance created
• 2 accurate crosses (match-best)
• 2 clearances
• 4 tackles (match-best)
• 4/5 ground duels won
• 0x dribbled past ?
• 80% passing pic.twitter.com/iL9p4534Lw— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) February 23, 2022
Cheikhou Kouyate: 6/10
He had a busy night sitting in front of the defence and, compared to his other midfield partner, got good control of the ball in the area. While Kouyate was unspectacular for large parts, he dictated play when Watford had tired legs.
Will Hughes: 5/10
Hughes demonstrated why Vieira is struggling to get his midfield partnerships right as he had a difficult night. He struggled to get any grips on the game as he never found space to operate properly. A player in his position should be getting more of the ball, which eluded the former Watford midfielder, especially in the second period.
Conor Gallagher: 7/10
Conor Gallagher has now scored more Premier League goals this season (8) than Mason Mount (7).
He's also scored goals more than any other Chelsea player. ? pic.twitter.com/ynAXcXYTWL
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) February 23, 2022
A good return game for Gallagher, who missed the previous clash with Chelsea. In the first period, he was a threat and deservedly got a goal to restore Palace’s lead. He also provided the deflected ball for Mateta’s opener and will be happy with his overall contributions.
Michael Olise: 7/10
A livewire on the right side of the attack, Olise dazzled the game with his trickery and brought everyone forward to attack. He will be disappointed at not contributing with a goal or assist; the signs of improvements are there with each passing game.
Jean-Philippe Mateta: 7.5/10
Mateta worked hard as he got into deep positions to collect the ball and made amends to quickly get back into scoring positions in the box many times. He got the opener for Palace through a deflected shot and played a role in the Watford equaliser as he should have imposed himself better for Sissoko’s goal.
Wilfried Zaha: 8/10
Wilfried Zaha has the 15th-most goal contributions of all Premier League forwards since 2014/15 (81).
He's the only player in the Top 15 who has not played for a side that's finished Top 4 at least once in that span.
Different. pic.twitter.com/jkQDfm9xfg
— Matchday365 (@Matchday365) February 23, 2022
After a relatively quiet first half from the Palace talisman, Zaha got into the act with a stunning double in the second period to put the game beyond Watford’s reach. Such a performance was necessary for the attacker to regain some confidence and build momentum for the next games.
SUBSTITUTES
Jordan Ayew: 7/10
Ayew replaced Olise with around 18 minutes to play and proved to be a useful outlet from the right side of the attack.
