Timid, listless and toothless in their first seven matches; vibrant, inspired and potent against the Premier League champions. The contrast was so ridiculous, the logic so dubious, that the only reasonable explanation for Crystal Palace’s stunning 2-1 victory over Chelsea at a delirious Selhurst Park was the one offered up by Wilfried Zaha. “After you’ve lost every game you have nothing to be scared of really,” he said. “You are not scared of anything. You just play with freedom.”
Before anyone assumes otherwise, Zaha was not recommending a morale-sapping losing streak as the perfect preparation for a game against opponents of Chelsea’s calibre. Yet the forward’s comments about letting it all hang loose did offer an interesting insight into the perverse mind of the professional athlete. Everything suggested that Palace, pointless and goalless, were going to receive a fearsome beating but something about that dynamic liberated Roy Hodgson’s players. They tricked themselves into thinking they had nothing to lose, conveniently ignoring the fact a defeat would have further dented their chances of staying up, and that created an environment in which they were able to unlock their spirit and belief.
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Related: Crystal Palace shock champions Chelsea as Wilfried Zaha secures vital win
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