Crystal Palace vs Leicester: Luka Milivojevic goal lifts ‘curse’ to give Palace a vital win without Wilfried Zaha

Wilfried Zaha was probably smiling as what Roy Hodgson had described on Friday as a ‘curse’ was finally lifted. Unfortunately, there was simply no way of knowing as the usually expressive face of Crystal Palace hid behind a lowered hat and zipped-up jacket obscuring everything up to the eyes in a bid to protect him from the wintry weather.

Sat in an executive box, the suspended Zaha was helpless but delighted as he watched his teammates grind out this messiest of victories, settled by a strike of almost inappropriate beauty from the boot of Luka Milivojevic.

It was bitterly cold day at Selhurst Park and one soundtracked by the sound of incessant rain against corrugated metal roofing, but it was the day that Palace got their first win without Zaha and showed, however ugly, that there might just about be another dimension to them – even if you have to work hard to coax it out.

Suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards, Zaha’s absence was always going to be felt in such a tight game and it contributed, though exacerbated by the conditions, to making this a rather painful clash to sit through.

To say that Palace lose whenever Zaha isn’t playing has become a little clichéd, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Their last 13 Premier League matches where the Ivorian hadn’t featured have produced a stunning 13 defeats, and a game like today’s was perfect to demonstrate why they have such a problem when he is absent.

The Eagles started the first half by making occasional, polite inroads into the Leicester defence and ended it with the Foxes fully pinned back in their own half. But while with the passing of time Palace indisputably began to take control, the increased amount of the ball they were seeing only served to highlight how imprecise they can be, at times, in possession.

Roy Hodgson’s team tend to play a fairly narrow 4-4-2 that leans on organisation and solidity when defending and freestyle actions when attacking. That works best when you have an elite, game-breaking talent like Zaha whose twinkletoed dribbling helps carry a team upfield and take defenders out of the picture.

The problem for Zaha’s teammates is that they are so accustomed to simply sticking to their task, waiting for Zaha to beat a man and then finding a way to crash the penalty area that when he’s absent, its often unclear who is supposed to be taking up the creative mantle.

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Against Leicester it looked like Max Meyer and Andros Townsend were the most likely players to make something happen, with Townsend conducting solo raids as part of a strike partnership with the largely invisible Jordan Ayew and Meyer offering himself deep. The German was subject to some close attention early in proceedings, receiving the ball with his back to goal and promptly feeling the thud of a defender on his tail. As the elements took their toll, though, the former wunderkind found pockets of space more readily but struggled to recreate the effect Zaha has when he takes two or three players out of the game in a split-second.

That said, there is more than one way to skin a cat and there are many ways to break down a team. Hodgson’s Palace have always thrived by having players who run at defenders, and until the departure of Yohan Cabaye they also boasted the sort of creative passer who can split the eye of the needle to create chances for teammates.

Struggling to get past Leicester using either of those methods, they broke the deadlock with the rare third option – a beautiful strike from distance by Milivojevic.

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Leicester had done so well to harangue Palace’s attackers throughout but gave the Serb too much time to pick out his spot after Aaron Wan-Bissaka had done well down the right flank and found his captain in space. The curling strike whistled through the floodlit rain and past Kasper Schmeichel for only the 13th goal at Selhurst Park all season – a Premier League low.

Palace began the second half as still the better side but retreated into their shell a little, Hodgson’s innate conservative streak preferring to safeguard the points rather than look to bury a Leicester side that were far from dead.

Ayew should have done better when allowed to shoot from the middle of the box but took a second too long and found his effort blocked. Meyer’s cross-shot was nearly diverted home by Townsend, who might be filling in dutifully as a centre-forward but doesn’t have those striker’s instincts yet. Especially when it comes to staying onside.

The Foxes threw on Kelechi Iheanacho to try and force the issue and improved. Hodgson responded by replacing the ever-willing but never-scoring Ayew with Norwegian beanpole Alexandr Sorloth.

Moments later Leicester had their best chance of the game as Jamie Vardy snuck behind Mamadou Sakho for the first time all day and found his effort tipped onto the post. The rebound cannoned into the arms of Premier League debutant Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal. It wasn’t the first time the highly-rated Spaniard had pushed his luck put sometimes you need a little suerte. Guaita, who may yet take the gloves from Wayne Hennessey on a more permanent basis, certainly got his.

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As the game entered its late stages and the rain proceeded to redouble its efforts to turn this already sloppy game into a greater mess, the hosts eschewed the slow build-up play of earlier in proceedings and seemed happy to simply get the ball clear. Attractive it was not, prompting that peculiar mix of relief and frustration from the crowd with each ball leathered desperately into the channels.

But there was no sound as relieved as the home fans on the final whistle, as Palace held on for a vital three points in pulling them away from relegation but, more significantly, proving they can win without the man who makes them tick.