Jean-Philippe Mateta and Wilfried Zaha give Crystal Palace fine win at Wolves

Gareth Southgate was at Molineux again with Max Kilman, one of Wolves’ best players this season, on the England manager’s radar. But on a day when Crystal Palace extended their unbeaten away record in 2022 to complete a deserved double over Bruno Lage’s side, this son of Russian and Ukrainian parents played an unwitting part in the goals from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Wilfried Zaha.

The former England futsal international has been an ever-present in the Premier League, his calmness on the ball and reading of the game among his standout attributes, but he was unable to prevent Mateta giving Patrick Vieira’s side the lead and then conceded the penalty from which Zaha effectively sealed the game. Palace moved into the top half of the table, two places behind a Wolves side who fell to their third consecutive defeat.

The left-footed Kilman, normally so assured playing to the right of Conor Coady, has fallen below his breakout standards in these defeats and, as Wolves switched to four at the back in a tactical switch, was withdrawn 11 minutes from time.

Palace were as impressive as Wolves were shocking in the first half. The two goals were the least Vieira’s side deserved. To think that at the end of Wolves’ previous home game, a 2-1 win over Leicester City, they had the games in hand to be able to see a way into the top four but contrasting defeats in London had returned them to earth with a bump.

With an FA Cup quarter-final home tie with Everton to look forward to after their midweek victory over Stoke City, Palace are a team on the up. Their unbeaten run on the road in 2022 has clearly given them the confidence to go at teams and Mateta could have scored even earlier, as he headed Michael Olise’s corner straight at José Sá.