Zaha underlines importance to Palace in 1-1 with Brentford
LONDON (AP) — Wilfried Zaha emphasized his importance to Crystal Palace ahead of deadline day in the transfer market but his team had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Brentford following Yoane Wissa’s late equalizer on Tuesday.
Zaha, who is reportedly a target for Chelsea and Arsenal before the transfer window closes on Thursday, looked to have earned Palace the win with a stunning 59th-minute opener when he cut inside from the left and found the far corner from just outside the penalty area.
Brentford snatched a draw against its London rival thanks to unmarked substitute Wissa heading home in the 88th.
The visitors nearly left Selhurst Park with all three points as Rico Henry squandered a golden opportunity in stoppage time before Ben Mee headed against the crossbar.
Michael Olise hit a post for Palace prior to Zaha’s goal, while many of Brentford’s earlier forays forward were undermined by a lack of cutting edge.
Zaha was back in the spotlight after missing the 4-2 loss at Manchester City on Saturday because of a leg issue. Before kickoff, Palace manager Patrick Vieira was tight-lipped on the future of his star player, saying the Ivory Coast international — whose contract expires next summer — “didn’t mention anything about leaving.”
Home fans sang Zaha’s name throughout the match.
Brentford moved onto six points, one more than Palace.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports