Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has insisted that he does not regret leaving Wilfried Zaha on the bench from the start of his side's 2-1 defeat to Chelsea this evening.
Zaha returned to the Palace squad following more than a month on the sidelines with a knee injury, but had to wait until half time to be introduced when he replaced Christian Benteke.
The Ivorian's arrival coincided with an improvement in Palace's play, and he went on to set up Patrick van Aanholt's goal as they threatened to launch a late comeback against the Premier League champions.
Hodgson was pleased with Zaha's impact, but insists that he was not willing to take any risks over his fitness following his recent spell out through injury.
"Great to have him back. We need to be careful. He's a wonderful footballer who makes us better, but we can't think we'll be fine because he's back, he's one player out of 11. He's a footballer, not a magician," Hodgson told BT Sport.
Hodgson was later asked whether he had any regrets about not starting the winger, to which he told reporters: "No, because the fact is of being wise after the event. If I'd have started Zaha and he's have broken down in the 15th or 20th minute, you'd have a very different question. I would have preferred to have kept him on the bench longer."
The defeat leaves Palace still one point from safety in the Premier League's relegation zone.
Barney Corkhill
