Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew hails Wilfried Zaha performance

Crystal Palace boss Alan Pardew has lavished praise on Wilfried Zaha after the attacker played a key role in helping the Eagles overcome Watford in the semi-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

Zaha was seen as a doubt ahead of kickoff at Wembley after suffering a hamstring problem in the warm-up, but the former Manchester United forward lasted the whole 90 minutes as Palace won 2-1 to book their spot in the final.

Pardew has claimed that Zaha has "unbelievable potential", but was disappointed that the Englishman could not find the back of the net following a mazy run in the second period.

"Zaha had a slight injury before, which we were worried about, then he went and nearly scored one of the great semi-final goals! The final is going to be a big day for Wilf. This guy has got unbelievable potential," Pardew told reporters.

Zaha, 23, joined Man United from Palace in 2013, but struggled to make his mark at Old Trafford and re-joined his former club on a permanent deal in February 2015.