Report & Highlights: Outstanding Palace secure wonderful win at Villa Park

Summary:

• Mitchell and Hughes come into Palace’s XI; new arrival Pino begins on the bench.
• 2: Tielemans peels away at the near post, but heads over for Villa.
• 20: Kamada wins Palace a penalty with quick feet at the culmination of a sharp move.
• 21 – GOAL: Mateta sends Bizot the wrong way for first league goal of the season.
• 25: Wharton’s whipped ball is inches from finding Kamada, with Bizot stranded.
• 30: Sarr meets Muñoz’s ball at the back post, but can’t get above it.
• 41: Henderson denies Watkins at point-blank range.
• HT: Aston Villa 0-1 Palace
• 52: Henderson keeps out Tielemans’ long-distance effort.
• 59: Palace’s keeper then plunges low to prevent Rogers’ effort at his near post.
• 68 – GOAL: Guéhi bends in a superb finish from the corner of the box.
• 71: Pino comes on for Hughes to make Crystal Palace debut.
• 73: Malen hits the side-netting from a tight angle as Villa seek a route back in.
• 78 – GOAL: Sarr rises highest at the far post to head home from a long throw.
• 90+1: Pino almost delivers debut assist, but Lerma is denied by Bizot.
• FT: Aston Villa 0-3 Palace

A frantic, action-packed August had seen Palace not only secure two of their early-season objectives – the FA Community Shield trophy, and qualification for a major European competition – but also three clean sheets in five unbeaten matches, prior to the trip to Villa Park.

The Eagles were bolstered by the inclusion of attacker Yeremy Pino in the matchday squad for the first time, having completed his move from Villarreal on Friday. There were two changes to Palace’s starting XI, with Tyrick Mitchell and Will Hughes replacing Borna Sosa and Jefferson Lerma from Thursday’s resolute draw in Norway.

Little over 72 hours since that all-important draw at Fredrikstad to secure Conference League qualification, Palace kicked off again at Villa Park – and it was the hosts who created the first clear opportunity when Youri Tielemans peeled into space at the near post from a corner, but headed wildly over.

Much to Palace’s credit, however, despite their remarkably busy calendar, they grew into the half – and indeed proved the more dangerous outlet in the first-half.

Villa’s Matty Cash survived an early VAR check for a potentially high challenge on Daichi Kamada.

But when the Kamada, at the culmination of a sharp move on 20 minutes involving Marc Guéhi and Mateta, showed quick feet and was caught by Villa ‘keeper Marco Bizot’s trailing leg, this time the VAR did not redeem the hosts.

Up stepped Mateta – and the Palace forward coolly sent Bizot the wrong way from the spot for his first Premier League goal of the season, as well as a controversial yellow card for his customary corner flag kick celebration.

The Eagles continued to threaten – and Kamada was inches away from reaching Adam Wharton’s delightful in-swinging cross, with Bizot having already missed the ball.

Villa had their moments in the first-half – Evan Guessand struck straight at Dean Henderson from distance, and on the stroke of half-time, the England international made a fine point-blank save with his head from Ollie Watkins, who had raced onto John McGinn’s long ball.

But Palace were still the more threatening side and Ismaïla Sarr – so potent against Villa on three of our meetings last season – could have extended our lead with a towering leap, but he could not quite get above Daniel Muñoz’s clipped cross.

Into the second-half, and the hosts came out with renewed purpose – only to find Palace, once again, in impressively resilient defensive form.

There was an early storm for the Eagles to ride out in the second-half, with Henderson called upon to deny Tielemans’ curling effort from long range – and forced into an excellent save moments later, when Morgan Rogers attempted to squeeze a low strike in at his near post.

Palace could have been rocked by an injury to Wharton shortly before the hour mark, but remained a difficult proposition to break down – and then, on 68 minutes, they delivered the most spectacular of sucker punches.

The move began with captain Marc Guéhi in his own half, carrying the ball into space and – with little opposition – towards the Villa box.

When he sprayed a pass to his left, the subsequent cross was half-cleared back to him by Ezri Konsa – but few inside Villa Park could have predicted that the Palace captain would open up his body and unleash the most stupendous of curling finishes into the top corner, for what marked the 500th top-flight away goal in our history.

The positives continued to flow for Palace, when Pino came off the bench for his Palace debut with 20 minutes remaining.

Villa did threaten briefly when Rogers’ pull-back across the six yard box took a deflection which carried it into Donyell Malen’s path – but with Henderson to beat from a tight angle, the home forward instead picked out the side-netting.

And Palace were in dreamland – as they so often have been against Villa in recent years – on 78 minutes.

Sarr, who scored five goals against our opponents last season, was at it again: he rose highest to reach a long throw launched by Jefferson Lerma, and flicked on by Maxence Lacroix, and duly nodded into an unguarded net at the back post.

And it almost got even better as the clock ticked into injury time, with Pino breaking free on the halfway line and – faced by three Villa shirts – playing a wonderful reverse pass into the path of Lerma. A debut assist appeared on the cards – but Bizot was able to block Lerma’s side-footed finish.

Nevertheless, a 3-0 win was an outstanding scoreline to cap an outstanding performance – our first Premier League win of the season to top off a fantastic month of ground-breaking achievements.

Palace: Henderson (GK), Muñoz, Richards, Lacroix, Guéhi, Mitchell, Hughes (Pino, 71), Wharton (Lerma, 55), Sarr, Kamada (Clyne, 86), Mateta (Devenny, 85).

Subs: Benítez (GK), Sosa, Rodney, Cardines, Esse.

Aston Villa: Bizot (GK), Cash (Burrowes, 74), Konsa, Mings, McGinn (Torres, 74), Tielemans, Watkins, Malen (Digne, 83), Maatsen (Bogarde, 84), Rogers, Guessand (Buendia, HT).

Subs: Proctor (GK), Jimoh-Aloba, Rowe, Patterson.

As It Happened