An unfortunate own goal by Joachim Anderson helped Aston Villa produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend in the Premier League. Unai Emery’s side was given an early scare when the returning Wilfried Zaha had an early goal ruled out for offside by VAR, but it was the home side who claimed the lead when Joachim Andersen turned Matty Cash’s low cross into his own net (27). Palace’s issues worsened just after the hour mark when Cheick Doucoure was awarded a second yellow card for a late challenge on substitute Calum Chambers, and there was no turning back for Patrick Vieira’s side as their goal-scoring woes persisted. The result extended Palace’s losing streak to nine games, keeping Vieira’s side six points above the relegation zone.
The pattern for this game was established early on. Aston Villa was dominating the ball, while Crystal Palace attempted to score on the break, which almost worked. Zaha, who had been out with a hamstring injury for four games, surged in behind the Villa defense to latch onto Eberechi Eze’s through ball and round Emiliano Martinez to give Palace an early lead. Nevertheless, the VAR lines were not in play, and the goal was disallowed due to a close offside call.
In a game of scant chances, Villa took the lead after 27 minutes thanks to an unlucky own goal by Andersen. Matty Cash’s run was expertly picked up by John McGinn’s pass, and as his low cross sought Ollie Watkins in the middle, Andersen slid in but could only throw the ball into his own net. Villa should have increased their lead before halftime. Watkins was found free inside the area by Emiliano Buendia’s pass, but he could only put his shot on the wrong side of the post. There had been little sign of Palace getting back into the game in the early stages of the second half, leaving them with a mountain to climb.
Doucoure was booked for a nasty-looking challenge that terminated Boubacar Kamara’s afternoon in the 56th minute, and for leaving Kamara’s replacement Calum Chambers in need of treatment seconds later. Referee Craig Pawson was forced to issue a second yellow card, leaving Palace not only a goal behind but also a man down. Zaha tried his hardest to get Palace back into the game, slithering clear of three players and curling a shot inches wide. Vicente Guaita saved McGinn’s close-range attempt as Villa pushed for a second, and the midfielder squandered another wonderful opportunity when he took too long to get a shot away after meeting Chambers’ cutback, and his shot was blocked.
“Both teams did not produce much. Yet, in the end, the nuances worked against us, but the disallowed goal was crucial. Of course, obtaining a result is critical. But we had a couple of tough games when we defended and performed well. That was not the case today,” Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira said. “We were all aware of how difficult that stretch of games would be. We need to get back into the game because we know we can compete with teams like Manchester City. We did it against Liverpool, and we always find the strength to compete at the level we can at home. I’m not any more concerned than I was following the game against Liverpool. It is critical that we recover and begins winning games. Of course, things are tight, and we must continue to work well and hard.”
“Our plan was to win with a clean sheet, and we succeeded. It was a crucial accomplishment in maintaining everyone’s confidence. I’m overjoyed,” Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery said. “We can, of course, assess the game and the first half, but the second half was totally different. The first half was superior, and we deserved to win it. They scored, but it was offside. But in the first half, we were playing the way we wanted to. The second half is a little weird. We weren’t particularly smooth, but the clean sheet and the win are what matter today.”
For more football scores, click here
