It was Eberechi Eze‘s week as he further eased Crystal Palace‘s relegation fears as their revival continued under Roy Hodgson, and the former England manager has urged current Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate to keep an eye on Selhurst Park.
With seven matches to go, teams are beginning to pull away from the relegation zone, with Palace in particular having put considerable distance between themselves and the bottom three, following an outstanding upturn in fortunes in recent weeks.
Returning veteran manager Hodgson has dominated the plaudits after replacing Patrick Vieira, but the Eagles’ African stars have played their parts in the club’s climb up to mid-table.
Michael Olise, who, like Eze, is eligible for Nigeria and England, starred with a hat-trick of assists at Leeds last weekend, as Ghana‘s Jordan Ayew scored a rare double, while Jeffrey Schlupp continues to make valuable contributions.
This weekend, it was Eze’s turn, as the 24-year-old, who has been under a lot of pressure to decide between England and Nigeria, extended his fine recent form with both goals as Palace defeated bottom-club Southampton.
