download All Football App

Zaha is slammed by pundits for his 'reckless' moments of madness after red card

  /  autty

Wilfried Zaha has been criticised by pundits after being sent off for two petulant bookings during Crystal Palace's clash against Tottenham.

Palace had attempted to get the Premier League game postponed after being hit by several Covid-19 cases, but were unsuccessful and later found themselves trailing two nil at half-time, on what quickly unfolded into a miserable afternoon for them.

And Zaha made matters worse after being handed his marching orders in the first half, with the forward twice embroiled in incidents with Davinson Sanchez.

The first altercation came when Zaha, approaching the centre back from behind, appeared to made contact late.

Referee Jon Moss brandished the first yellow card, perhaps harshly, meaning the winger was then walking a tightrope.

Just 11 minutes later, the red card was pulled out.

With Palace down and out after goals from Harry Kane and Lucas Moura, Zaha lost his head and threw Sanchez to the ground out of frustration, directly in front of the baying home supporters.

To little surprise, Moss - the man in the middle - showed Zaha his second yellow, and then banished him to an early Boxing Day bath.

Replays showed the Ivory Coast international looking bemused after the decision before walking off the pitch.

During BT Sport's half-time coverage, both Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand took aim at Zaha's moment of madness - although they also admitted that the 29-year-old has typically played better when on the edge.

'It is reckless. You can say he's gone down a bit easy there, but it's just stupid,' Crouch said. 'He shouldn't get involved with the first or the second one.

'He's the type of player that wants to be involved in these kinds of confrontations. I feel like he plays better. At White Hart Lane, he got involved with Tanganga and from then on, he played better. He raised his game.

'He needs that kind on fire. But he's just gone too far and stepped over the mark on this occasion.'

Ferdinand, meanwhile, suggested that Sanchez may have 'exaggerated' the fouls.

'Some players need to be antagonised a little bit,' he said. 'They love the fans to get involved and be against them a little bit. Wilf's like that and he genuinely plays better.

'But today, I think Sanchez has exaggerated both situations and unfortunately for Palace, Wilf's got a red card off the back of it.'

Palace's misery was compounded in the second half, with Son Heung-min also beating Jack Butland to continue the superb form of Antonio Conte's side.