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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Marc Mayo

Norwich 1-1 Crystal Palace: Wilfried Zaha scores stunner before penalty miss in draw

Wilfried Zaha earned Crystal Palace a point with a stunning long-range finish at Norwich - before passing up the opportunity for two more from the spot.

Teemu Pukki scored within 40 seconds at Carrow Road before Zaha’s leveller on the hour mark. However, the Eagles star rolled his effort wide when Palace were given the chance to win the match from the penalty spot after a foul on Tyrick Mitchell.

It was almost as if Palace boss Patrick Vieira had pre-empted the topsy-turvy evening for Zaha ahead of his return to club action following the Africa Cup of Nations.

“I think with his potential he can do more - I think he's a player that can deliver and he needs to be more consistent," he had said, with Zaha going on to prove his manager's point.

Pukki finished low for his first goal of 2022 after Adam Idah had touched Milot Rashica's cross into his path.

The Finnish forward was denied a second only by the brave defending of Mitchell, who stole in ahead of Pukki to nod Rashica's cross behind for a corner.

It was his own dallying which would cost Pukki moments later, Rashica, enjoying his night up against Joel Ward, laying a chance on a plate for the striker whose loose touch allowed Mitchell to once again get back and challenge.

At the other end, Angus Gunn had to be alive to the danger to palm away a Jeffrey Schlupp effort but Palace were knocking on the door.

Their equaliser would come in superb fashion as Zaha, quiet until this point, was afforded too much space by Przemyslaw Placheta and took full advantage by wrapping his foot around the ball and curling past Gunn.

Under two minutes later and Palace were presented with a golden chance to take the lead as Aarons clumsily bundled Mitchell over in the box.

Zaha, fresh from his sixth goal of the campaign, looked prime to double his tally for the evening but instead dragged a timid effort wide of the post.

There would ultimately be nothing to separate the two sides, with Norwich a point from safety and Palace still struggling for Premier League wins.

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