This is the striker pairing Crystal Palace should go for at Huddersfield Town

By Sam Smith

The ball dropped. He swivelled. He swung. The net rippled.

It was meant to be the moment Alexander Sorloth introduced himself as a Crystal Palace player. It seemed an almost four-game wait for a first Eagles goal had finally concluded. The January signing had already come close during his brief career with the South Londoners but here, in the closing stages of Saturday’s game at Chelsea with the score still 2-0 to the hosts, the Norwegian finally had his goal.

But referee Anthony Taylor was having absolutely none of it. Taylor harshly alleged Jairo Riedewald had dangerously impeded Gary Cahill before the ball fell to Sorloth and instead awarded a free-kick. However, beneath the furore over a poor refereeing decision, there was a composed and emphatic finish from a striker who has acquitted himself to life at Palace very well.

Admittedly, the 22-year-old had his poorest game for Palace at Stamford Bridge – but only based comparatively with the high standards he had set in his previous three outings. His dynamic, fearless and physical approach, either wide on the left or through the centre, has already made him one of Palace’s most exciting players and biggest threats, adding a different dimension to an attack that previously solely featured the confidence-lacking and goal-stricken Christian Benteke.

Against Chelsea, Sorloth was often lackadaisical with his first touch and his flick-ons regularly failed to find team-mates. It was a contrast to his appearances against Everton, Tottenham and Manchester United but this inconsistency is to be expected from a young player completely new to Premier League football.

Sorloth was better in the second half than he was in the first, the epitome of how he described the team performance after the game. He began in a front two with Benteke and the pair spent the opening 45 minutes either too close together or too far apart. They jumped to challenge for the same headers and were nowhere near each other when one attempted a flick or a pass to the other. The pair are too alike to play with each other – it was almost like turning up to a theatre expecting a variety show but the only performers being singers.

When Wilfried Zaha returned from his month-long absence to replace the ineffective Benteke at half-time, glimpses of a well-balanced, highly-potent partnership were evident. While Sorloth was the target man, the Ivorian moved either side of him to stretch Chelsea’s back three.

Finally, the Blues were being harried and put under pressure, and it was a Zaha tackle on Andreas Christensen from which Sorloth burst through on goal and powered a shot against the post in the opening minutes of the second period. The pair proved their fledgling partnership could work during their brief 45-minute audition.

It has been the case for the last few years that Palace are markedly better when Zaha plays, but the former Groningen forward was also a key part in the second half improvement at Stamford Bridge. He was freed of the idleness of Benteke at half-time and was able to play to the strengths that Palace fans had already witnessed in his previous three games: receiving the ball and bringing others into play, while also surprisingly adept with the ball at his feet for a striker standing at six-foot-four-inches.

Roy Hodgson will likely pursue with the 4-4-2 formation that was key to the revival earlier in the season, and this will include Zaha as one striker and either Sorloth or Benteke as the other. The latter’s withdrawal at half-time was a statement of sizeable magnitude by Hodgson, while also acting as a public display of trust in his £9 million man from Midtjylland. It seems the former England manager may just persevere with a front two of Zaha and Sorloth.

There would be no harm in starting tomorrow’s game against Huddersfield with Sorloth and Zaha as a strike partnership. The pair showed signs of promise against Chelsea and could blossom into a fruitful pairing.