Palace boss Hodgson gives early reaction to Wilfried Zaha’s injury after victory over Leicester

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed that Wilfried Zaha suffered a muscle injury in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Leicester City.

The Ivorian pulled up before half time when he faced up with Leicester defender Timothy Castange on the edge of the box.

He was replaced by Jordan Ayew, who played down the left-hand side for the second half.

Zaha is set to be out of contract in the summer, but the Eagles have offered their all-time Premier League goalscorer a new deal at Selhurst Park.

The Foxes took the lead through Ricardo Pereira in the 58th minute – the Portuguese defender hitting a thunderous effort from the edge of the box beyond Vicente Guaita.

Eberechi Eze’s free-kick – which hit the crossbar and rebounded off Daniel Iversen into the back of the net – brought the Eagles back level.

Jean-Philippe Mateta secured Palace’s first three points in 2023 with the last kick of the game, collecting Jordan Ayew’s pass inside the area and confidently slotting beyond Iversen.

“There is no update,” said the Palace boss, who confirmed after the press conference that it was a groin injury. “The injury was a massive blow.

“Who knows? All we can cross our fingers and hope for the very best because we don’t want to lose him for any length of time. 

“It’s a muscle strain. They can take anything from days to weeks or months. We will have to wait and see.”

PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD