The gloom surrounding Crystal Palace after their dismal start to the campaign finally appears to be dissipating following their superb 2-1 victory over Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, marking back-to-back wins for the first time in the 2024-25 season.
Aston Villa looked to control possession from the outset, but several misplaced passes allowed the visitors to launch frequent counterattacks, and Villa were quickly punished as Eberechi Eze guided a header into the bottom right corner from the penalty spot after a swift Palace break, giving the away side the lead inside 10 minutes.
Palace continued to look dangerous in the following minutes, but it was the hosts who found the second goal as Leon Bailey cut the ball back to Jhon Duran just inside the area, with the striker's effort squirming under Matt Turner and into the near corner to draw Villa level.
Despite early injury blows to Eze, in the 18th minute, and Adam Wharton, in the 27th minute, threatening to derail Crystal Palace's strong first-half performance, Oliver Glasner's side continued to disrupt Aston Villa's tempo and break forward at every opportunity, though the score remained tied heading into the break.
Both sides continued to threaten after the restart, with each having chances flashing just wide of the goal, but it took until the 64th minute for the third goal of the game as Daichi Kamada stole the ball just outside the Villa box before firing into the bottom left corner, restoring Palace's lead.
The hosts aimed to force their way back into the match as the seconds ticked by, but a number of wasted opportunities, combined with Crystal Palace's composure on the ball as they looked to wind the clock down, began to visibly frustrate Aston Villa as the game approached the final whistle.
It ended up being Palace who appeared the more likely to score the next goal of the match, but neither side were ultimately able to add to the scoring as the visitors held on to their 2-1 victory.
ASTON VILLA VS. CRYSTAL PALACE HIGHLIGHTS
Eberechi Eze goal vs. Aston Villa (8th min, Aston Villa 0-1 Crystal Palace)
Eberechi Eze HEADS Crystal Palace ahead against Aston Villa! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/sVlNhXPkzP
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2024
Eze gives Crystal Palace an early lead!
Palace win possession back just inside their half and quickly spring forward, with the ball finding Daniel Munoz's feet on the right side of the box after Tyrone Mings headed away Wharton's attempted pass.
The defender drives towards the byline and whips a cross to the penalty spot, where Eze drifts away from his marker and expertly heads the ball into the near corner, handing Crystal Palace the advantage.
Jhon Duran goal vs. Crystal Palace (23rd min, Aston Villa 1-1 Crystal Palace)
Jhon Duran EQUALISES for Aston Villa 🚨
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2024
It is now 1-1 at Villa Park. pic.twitter.com/7fFcDRob0n
And just like that, Villa are level!
Kamada loses the ball on the halfway line, with Boubacar Kamara instantly looking forward and sweeping the ball into the path of Bailey, who has plenty of space down the right side.
Bailey stands up his marker before quickly shifting the ball to his left foot and pulling it back to Duran, who takes a touch and strikes towards goal, with his effort slipping under Turner's gloves and into the bottom right corner, drawing Villa level.
Daichi Kamada goal vs. Aston Villa (64th min, Aston Villa 1-2 Crystal Palace)
Daichi Kamada scores for Crystal Palace to go 2-1 up at Aston Villa! 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/yZ8n4fC1E4
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 30, 2024
Kamada capitalises on a mistake by Villa to restore Palace's lead!
Aston Villa aim to play out from the back, with Kamara laying the ball back to Diego Carlos, but the central defender plays an overhit pass toward John McGinn, allowing Kamada to snatch possession.
The midfielder fakes a shot to go past one before driving his strike back across goal and into the bottom left corner, giving Joe Gauci no chance.
MAN OF THE MATCH - MATT TURNER
© Imago
While Turner may think he should have done better for Aston Villa's equaliser, with Duran's strike slipping through his gloves, the goalkeeper more than made up for it with a fantastic performance.
Turner made eight saves throughout the 90 minutes, including a massive five from inside the box, while also often helping Palace in possession as he served as an outlet when playing from the back.
Kamada is another Crystal Palace player who deserves credit for his showing, initially giving the ball away in the buildup to Duran's equaliser, but redeeming himself with a composed winning goal.
ASTON VILLA VS. CRYSTAL PALACE MATCH STATS
Possession: Aston Villa 62%-38% Crystal Palace
Shots: Aston Villa 17-12 Crystal Palace
Shots on target: Aston Villa 9-2 Crystal Palace
Corners: Aston Villa 5-6 Crystal Palace
Fouls: Aston Villa 6-15 Crystal Palace
BEST STATS
Eberechi Eze for Crystal Palace:
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) October 30, 2024
50 G/A
29 Goals
21 Assists
in 5 seasons. pic.twitter.com/FqfC4bNMnF
Shots on target:
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) October 30, 2024
4 — Jhon Durán
2 — Crystal Palace
Aston Villa lose their first game when Durán scores this season. pic.twitter.com/pb5FuivDt0
WHAT NEXT?
Having disappointingly missed the opportunity to advance to the EFL Cup quarterfinals, Aston Villa must put that behind them as they shift their focus to preparing for a challenging away trip against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
As for Crystal Palace, a brilliant 2-1 win means they have now won back-to-back games for the first time in the 2024-25 campaign, and they will look to make it three on the bounce when they face Premier League strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
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