Zaha 2023: Palace star means more than goals

Crystal Palace fans will be delighted by Wilfried Zaha's decision to sign a new five-year contract at Selhurst Park, ensuring the club's joint-highest Premier League goal-scorer can continue to inspire the Eagles as he did in 2017-18.

Roy Hodgson's men were reliant on the sharp-shooting 25-year-old last season and lost all of the 10 games they played without him on the pitch.

As well as being a major contributor of goals, netting nine in the league last term, Zaha is a catalyst for Palace and, who have scored 43 goals with him in the team since the start of last season, compared to just four without.

Since the start of 2017-18, Palace average 1.5 goals per game when Zaha plays versus just 0.4 goals when he does not.



10 - Since the start of 2017-18, Crystal Palace haven't won a single point in the 10 Premier League matches that Wilfried Zaha hasn't started. Of the 29 games he has started, they've averaged 1.62 points per game. Crucial. pic.twitter.com/YakDklWFFO
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 15, 2018




They concede fewer too - an average of 1.1 when the Ivory Coast international features versus 2.3 when he is absent.

Zaha is the second most successful dribbler in the Premier League since the start of last season behind Eden Hazard, according to Opta data, completing 120 compared to the Belgian's 170.

He needs just one more goal to eclipse Chris Armstrong's record of 23 goals for Palace in the competition.