I think he’s thriving on the fact that we’re not so reliant on him anymore, the pressures off. Opponents don’t know what to do either now, it used to be a case of kick him a couple of times early on( yes you Watford and Southampton) wind him up a bit and our main or only threat was out of the game, not the case anymore.

It was an interesting refereeing performance last night. He let a lot of niggles and barging go unpunished but was pretty even handed in his approach which made for an open game. I think Zaha spotted this and was able to give back as much as he received. Also, every time he got hauled to the ground or properly fouled he just smiled and got on with it. Been waiting a while for this version of Zaha and it was great to see.

The acid test will be how good can we be when Gallagher is no longer available. He really galvanises the team with his intensity. The semi-final will be a good indication - can we produce enough intensity with Olise / Eze even Hughes.

I think Hughes is the closest we have, or a younger James McArthur, which I'm not sure is technically possible.

Mateta is an object lesson in all the things football supporters don't see and in their rush to judge football players, all too often fail to take into account. Many would have sold him earlier this season because, apparently, he'd failed to make an instant impression at the club. The keyword there is INSTANT. It can take time to settle into a new city, into a new country with a different language, into a new league let alone a new team. Judge players AFTER they've had time to settle; not when they don't score a hat-trick in their first match. Furthermore, he appears to be hard-working, focused, committed and a good squad member even when he's not played. In his darker days, does anyone remember hearing him complain or rocking the boat? Me neither. Massive respect to the man. He's earned all the success now coming his way.

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

The future is certainly bright, but the top half are watching with interest thinking about who they’ll want to tempt away from us, and that’ll include PV. Most replacements will need to succeed like they virtually all have just recently. I hope we can attract some decent midfielders who can play in our own half with the ability to pass/attack because we only have Hughes and Kouyate who we own for that area and aren’t close to or about to retire.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a surprise bid and a player leave almost unexpectedly to fund squad management. Olise, Guehi, Mitchell I expect to be our most valuable assets teams might be looking at. Chelsea have first option on Guehi so I don’t know how that affects transfer fees.

It’s been a great achievement this season, far exceeding expectations, but there’s some big challenges ahead. One thing you can guarantee is Parish getting good fees. Hopefully the same standard of scouting and recruitment can continue, but we’re going up a level so we’ll see.

COYP