“He’s a nightmare to play against”- Alan Shearer wowed by €9M Crystal Palace player in today’s FA Cup semi-final win over Aston villa
Crystal Palace are through to the FA Cup final after beating Aston Villa 3-0 in Saturday’s semi-final at Wembley.
The Eagles overwhelmed the Villans at the national stadium, with Eberechi Eze and Ismaila Sarr getting the goals for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Sarr was the architect for the opener as he raced forward and set up Eze to curl a first-time effort into the far corner of Villa’s net in the 31st minute.
Sarr then put Crystal Palace two up in the 58th minute and added a third in the fifth minute of injury time to cap off a superb Eagles display.
Although Eze and Sarr were in the spotlight for their goals, Jean-Philippe Mateta also won plaudits for his impressive display.
BBC Sport pundit Alan Shearer liked what he saw from Mateta and sung his praises during the FA Cup clash.
Alan Shearer says Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta is a ‘nightmare to play against’
Shearer described Mateta as a “nightmare to play against” as he was a constant thorn in the side of the Villa defenders.
“Jean-Philippe Mateta’s a nightmare to play against,” Shearer said on BBC One.
“He’s doing his job superbly well. He’s working hard and not giving the defenders a second to settle on the ball.”
In the 75th minute, Mateta perfectly timed his slide on Ross Barkley in the box, denying Villa a chance.
“Outstanding,” Shearer said of the Palace star’s tackle. “Great for his teammates that Jean-Philippe Mateta’s prepared to do that.
“We have spoken so many times about his great forward play. The timing of the tackle was just perfect.”
How Jean-Philippe Mateta fared for Crystal Palace against Aston Villa
Mateta was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet against Villa, with his first-half goal being controversially disallowed for a foul and his second-half penalty going wide.
However, the £9million man worked hard throughout, setting up Sarr for his first of the night, triumphing in a number of duels and chipping in with a few tackles, interceptions and clearances.
Mateta came off in the 79th minute, having put in an incredible shift, and his efforts went a long way to helping Palace reach the FA Cup final.