‘It had to be him’- Zaha praises Wan Bissaka for challenge

Aaron Wan-Bissaka stopped Wilfried Zaha from scoring against Manchester United

PREMIER LEAGUE ‘It had to be him’- Zaha praises Wan Bissaka for challenge

Joba Ogunwale 23:46 - 18.01.2023

The Ivory Coast international could have scored against Manchester United but was denied by his former teammate.

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha has praised Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka for his well-timed challenge in the 1-1 draw between the two teams on Wednesday night. 

Palace halt United's run

Palace stopped United’s winning run as they gained a valuable point at home. Bruno Fernandes had put United ahead in the first half with a good finish following Christian Eriksen’s ball. 

Erik Ten Hag’s men looked to be heading to a tenth consecutive win, thanks to Fernandes' goal until Michael Olise fired in a beautiful free-kick in the 91st minute to salvage a point for Patrick Vieira’s men. 

However, The Eagles could have even gone home happier as they had the chance to win it in stoppage time through Zaha. 

Wan-Bissaka denies Zaha

The former United star was through on goal in stoppage time but was stopped by Wan Bissaka with a well-timed challenge. Following the game, Zaha praised Bissaka, saying he knew he was not going to score the moment he realised Bissaka was behind him. 

Wan-Bissaka denied Zaha a goal in Manchester United's draw against Palace

"It had to be him! I could have won it at the end. As I ran through, I had a little look back and I saw it was Aaron [Wan-Bissaka] and I knew. He is the only player who can do those scoop tackles from behind,” Zaha said after the game as per BBC. 

However, Zaha insists the point is the least Palace deserved, saying they showed character in the second half and were rewarded for it. The 30-year-old said the team showed that they can play against the best without fear. 

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"We have that talent in the team and the gaffer [Patrick Vieira] keeps telling us to contest the games and the talent will shine through.

"That's what the team needs, never say die attitude. We got a point and that was just what we deserved,” Zaha added. 

The result ends Palace’s run of three consecutive losses, and they will hope to take the energy into their next game against Newcastle. 

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