Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace: Eagles Punish Toothless Villa as Winless Streak Extends

Aston Villa’s struggles in front of goal continued as they crashed to a 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace at Villa Park, a result that ended their 19-match unbeaten Premier League home run in abject fashion.

Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring from the spot after Daichi Kamada was brought down by Marko Bizot, before Palace captain Marc Guehi, strongly linked with a move to Liverpool, produced a stunning curling effort for the second. The rout was completed when Jefferson Lerma’s long throw was flicked on by Maxence Lacroix, allowing Ismaila Sarr to nod home at the back post.

Unai Emery’s men were toothless once again in attack, leaving them without a single Premier League goal after three games this season. Frustration poured from the stands as Villa’s lack of urgency and rhythm was exposed by Oliver Glasner’s disciplined Palace side.

The evening was made worse when Adam Wharton limped off injured in the first half, adding to Palace’s concerns despite a dominant team display.

Villa began sluggishly, leaving gaps centrally that Palace’s runners exploited. The breakthrough came when Kamada ghosted into the box and was clipped by Bizot. Mateta dispatched the penalty coolly to give the visitors control.

A brief VAR check for a possible Adam Wharton pull on Tyrone Mings added drama just before half-time, but the incident was waved away. The visitors went in deservedly ahead, looking the more composed of the two sides.

Substitute Emiliano Buendía injected some energy for Villa, linking with Morgan Rogers in attacking pockets, but Palace’s structure was rock solid.

The killer blow came when a half-clearance dropped to Guehi on the edge of the area. The skipper, seemingly destined for Anfield before the transfer window shuts, curled a sensational right-footed strike into the top corner.

Moments later, Lerma’s trademark long throw caused chaos, Lacroix flicked on, and Sarr pounced at the far post to head in Palace’s third. Villa Park fell silent as reality sank in — Emery’s men look a shadow of the side that stormed into Europe last term.

FootballPlace analyst John William observed:

“Palace looked sharper in both penalty boxes. Guehi’s leadership and composure at the back freed Palace’s forwards to break with confidence. Villa, meanwhile, were passive in midfield and Emery’s decision to leave Martinez out — amid Manchester United transfer talk — robbed them of defensive assurance.”

He added:

“Three games, zero goals — that’s a damning stat for Villa. Palace, by contrast, look like a side quietly developing a nasty edge under Glasner. If Guehi departs before the window closes, this result may prove his parting gift.”

Crystal Palace will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for their next fixture, with Glasner eager to integrate new arrivals before the window shuts. Much will depend on whether Guehi remains at the club.

For Aston Villa, Emery faces urgent questions. Without Emi Martinez and with the attack blunt, their European hopes already appear under threat. A response is demanded in their next outing or Villa’s season could unravel quickly.

Should Aston Villa panic after three goalless games — or will Emery turn it around?