Football: Young and Old combine as Palace hit the jackpot

Yesterday afternoon we saw Crystal Palace promoted to the Premier League as they won the Championship Play Off Final at Wembley. The game was a cagey one, with few moments of real quality. Both sides' defensive units were very impressive, but it was one 20 year old who stood out from everyone else - much to the pleasure of Manchester United I am sure. Wilfried Zaha, who will join the Premier League Champions this summer, was the player who influenced yesterday's proceedings. Most notably, he won the decisive penalty in extra time after proving just too skillfull for Watford defender Marco Cassetti. He was a constant threat all game and for me, was the main difference between the two sides. 

It was the veteran Kevin Phillips who stepped up in the 105th minute to expertly slot home the penalty won by team mate Zaha. He showed no signs of nerves, and showed huge bottle against his former side in a match worth £120 million, to lift the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. The 39 year old talisman is in doubt whether to continue his playing career for one more season in the Premier League with Palace, or to finally hang up his boots after an illustrious career stretching over 20 years. If yesterday was his last appearance as a player, then there was no better way to sign off than in the way he did, and in the way he has been so successful in the game - scoring goals.