Ayew and Zaha on target as Eze features in comfortable Crystal Palace win

Jordan Ayew bagged a brace while Wilfried Zaha scored the other as Crystal Palace recorded an easy 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic on Saturday with new signing Eberechi Eze getting some minutes of action.

The 22-year-old Anglo-Nigerian attacker sealed a move from Queens Park Rangers on Friday and was placed right into the starting XI showing some bright sparks of quality until he was substituted at the start of the second half for Jeffrey Schlupp.

The game was goalless for the entire opening half and didn’t come to life until the hour mark thanks to Ayew who tapped home Zaha’s delivery on the left from close range.

It was not long after the Ghanaian made it 2-0 with a powerful effort from 12 yards before Zaha added the third by brilliantly linking up with Brandon Pierrick.

The result marked Palace’s second win of the pre-season having gotten the better of Oxford United on Tuesday.

Ayew was the Eagles top scorer last season with nine goals, a personal best in England and he reaffirmed his commitment to staying put at Selhurst Park and even doing better in the upcoming season.

“I’m a Crystal Palace player, I’m happy here. My family is also happy here. Everything is in Palace’s hands. I’m a very ambitious player but I intend to give my best for Palace this season,” Ayew said as per Citisports.

Last term Palace were close to the European places following a four-game winning run in which the Ghana international scored in three of them. However, an eight-game winless run that included seven consecutive defeats saw them ultimately finish in 14th position. Ayew is aiming for a much higher position on the table this time around.

“Everyone wants to play in the big competitions. We want to finish in the top half of the table. We hope to get a good start to the season and we’ll see how it goes,” he said.

Roy Hodgson’s charges will begin their quest for a much-improved season when they host Southampton on September 12.