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Wilfried Zaha claimed his season “starts now” after scoring in back-to-back games for Crystal Palace .
The winger had to put behind him the disappointment of not forcing through a transfer during the summer and he had not found the net until last weekend against Liverpool.
That goal came in defeat but on Saturday the 27-year-old put Palace on the way to a 2-0 victory over Burnley with the opener in first-half injury time.
Zaha told Palace TV: “Let me be honest, the only thing I’ve changed is just let me worry about myself, that’s it. I used to get annoyed about everything: the referee, the other team and my own team-mates at times.
“My season starts now, from (last) Saturday, I’ll just worry about myself and do what I do.”
Show all 21 1 /21Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? Hot seat rankings Which Premier League managers are facing the sack?
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 20. Jurgen Klopp Preventing the Kop's adoration of the Kop inadvertently lifting him directly to heaven, Klopp will not be departing Anfield anytime soon.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 19. Pep Guardiola The best manager in the world and personal friends with the board, the only way Pep departs will be out of his own volition. However, things aren't quite as rosy at the moment, after losing significant ground on Manchester City in the title race. Regardless, his departure won't come before the end of this season and, even if then, it'll be his decision.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 18. Brendan Rodgers Amid an initial circus of doubters, Rodgers has revived Leicester's vein of title-winning form. The Foxes are flying in second, having won eight of their last 10 games, and have shown no signs of slowing. Jamie Vardy is still rewinding the years, James Maddison is one of the league's outstanding creative players, Wilfried Ndidi the militant enforcer at the base of midfield and Caglar Soyuncu allowing fans to quickly move on from Harry Maguire. Together, they form arguably the strongest spine in the league, and Rodgers has brought them to their best.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 17. Jose Mourinho Jose Mourinho has arrived as the spotlight and, for now, after defeating West Ham it's beaming intensely. The aura surrounding Mourinho turning sour is always a danger, but this early in his tenure, it feels the only way is up for Spurs.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 16. Frank Lampard Under enforced conditions, Lampard has reignited a rare sense of positivity at Stamford Bridge. Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James have all broken through, results are continually improving and there'll be a long degree of leniency for a hometown manager operating under such restraints.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 14. Chris Wilder The sturdiest of the newly promoted clubs, Wilder has countered a lack of resources with invention, a frugal defence and a series of fearless performances against the bix-six. Their breathtaking 3-3 draw with Manchester United pushed the club into sixth - over 10 places ahead of their fellow promoted sides.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 13. Nuno Espirito Santo After a stuttering start, as the club managed their Europa League campaign, Santo's side are now undefeated in the league since mid-September. That run of form has pushed Wolves up into fifth and they're also primed to qualify for the knockout stages.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 12. Sean Dyche Like a fine claret, Burnley's success comes in cycles and, after Europa League qualification and the drear season which followed, Dyche's side have recovered from a dreary streak of results with back-to-back victories to keep the club in pursuit of a Europa League place.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 11. Eddie Howe Howe is as much a part of Bournemouth's furniture as the seafront. However, his side have continued in mixed form, falling to two disappointing defeats after their upset of Manchester United. Yet it still remains hard to imagine Howe ever departing until a bigger club finally decides to throw their weight behind him.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 10. Dean Smith Dean Smith is still attempting to gel a host of new signings into his squad and, while the signs of improvement are clearly there, the results are yet to follow. Three successive defeats has left Villa perched on the brink of the relegation zone, the defence still feels vulnerable, and although Trezeguet has proved an exciting signing, there's only so long they can largely rely on the ingenuity of John McGinn and Jack Grealish.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 9. Steve Bruce Steve Bruce, the valiant centurion of the old guard, was swamped by trouble until Matty Longstaff downed Manchester United and smothered the club in good sibling feeling. Somehow, he's starting to win round the fans at St James Park, despite his Sunderland ties. And, after three wins in their last five games, the dark clouds have suddenly lifted.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 8. Graham Potter The perfect partner to Dan Ashworth's technical revolution, the bedding-in period has remained slightly topsy-turvy. However, steadily Potter's brand of football is taking hold and, with an exciting group of new signings growing in stature along with Lewis Dunk's towering presence in defence, they should avoid another relegation battle.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 7. Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson entered the season as the old face ready to meet the axe of time. Instead, the 72-year-old began by defying the grandfather clock, soaring into the top-six. However, the warning signs soon started to chime again and suddenly four defeats in their last five games have left the club teetering precariously in the bottom half.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 6. Daniel Farke The Canaries started with a wild chirp of victory, inflicting defeat on Newcastle and Manchester City, but a meeker tweet has followed. The club have lost six of their last eight games, including a scarring 5-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Farke is well-liked and encourages an exciting style of football - aspects which migh buy him breathing room - but their vulnerable defence is showing few signs of stemming the downward flight.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 6. Ole Gunner Solskjaer If Old Trafford feels like a morgue, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the uncomfortable air of a walking corpse. The draw against Sheffield United was, for the best part, abysmal. The club currently sit in ninth, having won just four games all season, and there's only so much longer the manager can hide behind the exciting hoard of academy graduates. Despite insisting they are firmly behind the Norweigian, a club of such stature can't continue like this for much longer.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 5. Ralph Hasenhuttl Hasenhuttl arrived as the 'Austrian Klopp' but has been characterised by a glacial slide. The Saints have conceded more goals than any other side and haven't tasted victory in the league since mid-September. The ownership are desperate to stay up so as not to devalue the club's upcoming sale, however, their draw against Arsenal may have bought another inch of respite.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 4. Quique Sanchez Flores He’s barely settled back into his old seat, and yet Sanchez Flores' torturous reign already feels more like a pit stop. The Hornets have won just one game all season and remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, with few obvious signs of improvement. The hierarchy at Vicarage Road are notoriously trigger-happy and, even having already done so once this season, if they fail to make another change it feels as though they are destined for relegation.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 3. Manuel Pellegrini For Manuel Pellegrini's talented but largely unspirited side, the slide is proving almost impossible to stop. The Hammers have now lost four of their last five league games and the club are already sounding out potential replacements, including Rafael Benitez. Despite a promising start to the season, Pellegrini's days are numbered.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 2. Unai Emery After a fragile start to the season, Arsenal are now deep into implosion. The fans are revolting publicly calling for the manager's sacking, while his tactics remain as mysteriously muddled as ever, having now gone six matches without a win - the club's worst streak in over 20 years. The end is inevitable.
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Hot seat rankings: Which managers are facing sack? 1. Marco Silva The question is barely whether Everton want to keep Marco Silva anymore. Instead, it’s can the club find a better replacement, and how fast. The Spaniard’s side sit in 15th, having lost seven games already this season, despite Marcel Brands’ investment in the summer. When the manager’s agent starts making public statements, you know the vultures are circling above Goodison Park.
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Zaha was particularly pleased to score with his left foot having picked up the ball from Scott Dann and driven deep into the Burnley box.
He certainly seemed to take Clarets keeper Nick Pope by surprise, with the England man beaten at the near post.
“I’m glad I could take the opportunity, take the defender on and finish,” said Zaha.
“I’m playing on the left, and obviously people are going to show me on to my left because they know I want to come in and shoot on my right. I’ve had to practice on it and it’s match day so I’ve got to show I’ve been practising.”
The result was a blow to Burnley after back-to-back 3-0 wins, and they have to dust themselves down for the visit of Premier League champions Manchester City on Tuesday.
City slipped 11 points behind Liverpool after being held to a draw by Newcastle on Saturday, but Burnley boss Sean Dyche feels they are as dangerous as ever.
“They are still a fine side,” he said. “I certainly don’t think it is an easy one. A slightly freer element in that our crowd will certainly be behind us, they love to take a scalp when they can. City are still a top side and we will have to be right on top of our performance.”
Burnley will be boosted by the return of influential midfielder Ashley Westwood, who sat out the clash with Palace through suspension after picking up five yellow cards.
Jeff Hendrick deputised alongside Jack Cork but Westwood was clearly missed.
Dyche added: “Westy has been in good form, we know that, and he was last season. He has a good connection with Corky and we knew that would be a challenge to make anyone fit in there. But they stuck at it and tried to make the game come our way.”
Dyche was waiting to learn the extent of Charlie Taylor’s hamstring injury after the left-back was forced off in the first half.
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