Aston Villa played out a goalless draw against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night in a hard-fought encounter at Selhurst Park.
Villa enjoyed periods of control, particularly in the first half, but we were unable to build on that and lost our way in the second half as the hosts began to threaten more consistently.
Nevertheless, we still had opportunities to come away with more, as Ollie Watkins hit the post late on with a header, but it wasn’t to be as we picked up a decent point on the road against a side that we have struggled against in recent years.
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It’s Tottenham in the FA Cup next as we head to north London this weekend, but Unai Emery will be disappointed that we weren’t able to take more from this game as it did feel as though the opportunity was certainly there.
The Villa boss was left frustrated at the full-time whistle and remonstrated with the officials, with Villa having multiple penalty shouts turned away along with a number of poor decisions against both sides.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Crystal Palace:
Emiliano Martinez, 6 – Came off at half-time with another injury issue which feels like it’s becoming a problem given his absences already this season. Didn’t have too much to do in the first half but was alert to danger when needed.
Matty Cash, 7 – Put in a solid defensive shift and created some chances at the other end with his forward runs and dangerous deliveries, including the late one which Watkins hit the post with.
Ezri Konsa, 7.5 – Composed and in control both defensively and in possession. Read the game well and got across to cover when needed to nullify Mateta for the most part.
Victor Lindelof, 7.5 – Another impressive defensive display, as along with Konsa, they did well to shackle the Palace attackers. Threatened at the other end too with his presence on set-pieces and was perfect in his passing with a 100 percent completion percentage.
Lucas Digne, 7 – Produced a superb block in the second half to help protect our clean sheet, and while he defended well throughout, didn’t offer enough quality going forward.
Boubacar Kamara, 7 – Important presence in midfield, particularly in the first half, to help us settle into the game, get a foothold and establish ourselves in the contest. That gradually dissipated in the second half though as we had to deal with plenty of pressure in our own third.
Youri Tielemans, 7 – Similarly to Kamara, he was key for us in getting into the game and setting the foundation, but we weren’t able to build on that and create sustained pressure to take the game to Palace after the break.
John McGinn, 6.5 – Battling performance from the Villa skipper as always, and he had moments of attacking quality to help get us on the front-foot. However, wasn’t effective or decisive enough before being replaced.
Morgan Rogers, 7 – Produced some wonderful moments of skill and quality to break free of Palace’s defenders and pose a threat, but he wasn’t able to add a decisive end-product to that good work as we couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Jadon Sancho, 5.5 – Disappointing on his return to the starting line-up, as he didn’t provide us with anywhere near enough quality on the right side and was largely anonymous before being replaced.
Ollie Watkins, 6.5 – Worked hard in leading the line and had our best opportunities, so credit to him for his positioning and movement off the ball. However, he lacked a ruthlessness in front of goal that makes the difference in these games.
Substitutes:
Marco Bizot, 7 – Difficult situation for him to come into at half-time, but produced saves when needed and a commanding presence in the box.
Emiliano Buendia, 6 – Couldn’t influence the game as desired in the latter stages, albeit he did have one great chance just outside the box which he sent over the bar.
Ian Maatsen, 6 – Injection of energy but blasted an effort from distance over in a limited impact.
Donyell Malen, 6 – Similarly to our other substitutes, couldn’t provide that decisive spark off the bench in the second half.
Lamare Bogarde, N/A