Hodgson pleased with “proper Palace performance” and Zaha return

Palace manager Roy Hodgson said his side’s performance in the goalless draw with Everton on the opening day of the Premier League season was a “proper Crystal Palace performance”.

Hodgson was sufficiently buoyed by the efforts of his thirteen men, stating: “If we show the same determination, fight and guts that we did through the whole of the game today, it will stand us in good stead. I would put this down as a proper Crystal Palace performance. Maybe on paper, the odds were stacked against us, but we didn’t allow the odds to damage our chances of getting a result from the game.”

Asked if he thought a point apiece was a fair reflection of the game, he said: “I think if you look at the goal…