Huddersfield Town felt rightly aggrieved to be left empty-handed for their performance against Crystal Palace.
Wilfried Zaha gave the visitors all three points with a cracking goal to seal a 1-0 win in front of 23,636 supporters at the John Smith’s Stadium.
It means Town have picked up just one point at home this season and have still to score in front of their own supporters .
Here is how the national press reported the match:
Mail on Sunday - Mike Keegan
Never has the old adage of not booing a bad player rung truer.
With 38 minutes of a goalless affair gone, Wilfried Zaha picked up the ball close to the right touchline and immediately the Huddersfield supporters jeered.
There appeared to be little on for the man who Palace do not win without.
A couple of step-overs and a lightning burst past Florent Hardegjonaj and Philip Billing, however, gave him a sight of goal.
He did not waste it. Zaha’s finish was as good as his run, sailing beyond the outstretched arms of Jonas Lossl and into the far corner.
To their credit, some of those home fans who booed now applauded. In these parts there remains an appreciation for good football, even if it has come from the opposition.
Incredibly, Palace had lost the last 12 Premier League matches in which Zaha was not involved, including last time out’s disappointing 2-0 home reverse at the hands of Southampton.
Here, he was influential in a first victory since their opening day triumph at Fulham, which left David Wagner’s hosts still searching for a first win of their second season in the sun.
The Telegraph
Class and quality invariably wins Premier League games and few provided a more obvious example of it than this.
Wilfried Zaha returned to training only on Thursday but was able to provide Roy Hodgson with the anniversary present he wanted as he celebrated a year in the Crystal Palace job.
The winger collected a Jordan Ayew pass on the left, cut inside two defenders and curled a right-foot shot beyond Jonas Lossl to deliver a real moment of class on 38 minutes.
It proved the decisive moment in a game where he had become the pantomime villain for more than 20,000 passionate home supporters.
The Sun - Alan Nixon
Don’t get Wilfried Zaha mad...because he will only get even.
Zaha was back from injury and raging about a tackle from Huddersfield’s Danish defender Zanka that just earned a booking, leaping to his feet because he wanted more.
Briefly Zaha seemed to lose the plot and was soon in the book for catching Florent Hadergjonaj late, an act of revenge and petulance.
Worried team-mate James McArthur even had to have an intervention to calm him down with a few words.
However the Palace star was steamed up, chatting away to anyone who would listen including the subs as they warmed up.
The home fans booed his every touch as he took on the pantomime villian role.
But then Zaha settled the score in his head in the best way possible with a stunning goal.
He cut in from the left, weaved into space and scorched a shot in at the far post for a stunning 38th minute strike.
The Independent - Mike Whalley
Wilfried Zaha is a difficult man to ignore. For Crystal Palace, he appears to be an impossible player to replace.
His return from injury brought a superb individual goal that helped Palace end a run of three consecutive defeats, beating Huddersfield 1-0 away from home, yet there was fuel too for those who believe he has a tendency towards theatrics.
If Zaha thought that the resignation of Watford’s mascot this week might make his life easier at Premier League away grounds, he may need to think again.
Gareth Evans, the man who occupied Harry the Hornet’s costume until Thursday, is not the only person to make public his feeling that Zaha is a diver.
He was joined by around 20,000 Huddersfield fans at the John Smith’s Stadium by responding to a Mathias Jorgensen trip by writhing around like a performance dance student.
The Observer - Paul Doyle
Sometimes, being forewarned is no help whatsoever.
Huddersfield, like the rest of the Premier League, know all about the importance of Wilfried Zaha to Crystal Palace and the danger he poses to opponents, but still they could not stop him from deciding the outcome of this fierce match.
The home team played well, but Palace made off with the points thanks to a wonderful solo goal by their most precious player.
