Recap

Crystal Palace 0-0 Aston Villa: Stalemate at Selhurst Park as Eagles Stretch Unbeaten Run

Defences on top as Palace’s resilience frustrates Villa’s top-four ambitions

Crystal Palace and Aston Villa played out a tense 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park, a result that underlined the hosts’ growing resilience under Oliver Glasner and left Unai Emery’s side rueing a missed opportunity to gain ground near the top of the Premier League table.

In a match that swung in momentum but never on the scoreboard, both sides created enough chances to win it, yet found themselves thwarted by disciplined defending, committed goalkeeping and a persistent lack of composure in the final third.

Palace’s selection headaches and Villa’s opportunity

Glasner was forced into juggling his pack again, with Crystal Palace missing a host of first‑team players through injury. That opened the door for midfielder Justin Devenny and defender Canvot to come into the XI, while big‑money January signing Brennan Johnson made his home debut after his move from Tottenham. Despite their absentees and recent poor run, Palace entered the night on an impressive unbeaten streak against Villa, stretching back seven matches.

For Emery and Villa, the stakes were different. Having watched other top-four rivals drop points earlier in the midweek round, Villa arrived in south London knowing victory could move them closer to the top two. Instead, they departed with only a point and a lingering sense of frustration, particularly after feeling they were denied a late penalty when Youri Tielemans went down under pressure at a corner – an incident Emery later claimed was not fully checked by VAR.

Visitors start brighter as Watkins carries the main threat

Selhurst Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Villa in recent seasons, but they began with intent, enjoying more of the ball and forcing Palace back during an assured opening spell. Morgan Rogers and Jadon Sancho both delivered teasing early balls into the box, asking questions of the Palace back line. Their pressure contributed to an early moment of controversy when a cross struck Tyrick Mitchell’s arm in the area; the visitors appealed for a penalty, but their protests were waved away by the referee.

Palace’s high defensive line was repeatedly probed by Ollie Watkins’ movement. Midway through the first half, a sweeping Villa move nearly broke the deadlock when Watkins burst into the box, only to be denied by a sprawling stop from Dean Henderson, who stood tall in his one‑on‑one duel with the England striker. Later, a last‑ditch sliding challenge from Lacroix snuffed out another promising Watkins opening, underlining how hard Villa had to work to create clear sights of goal against a stubborn home defence.

Johnson’s home debut nearly crowns a Palace breakthrough

Despite Villa’s early control, the best chance of the first half arguably fell to Palace and their new arrival, Brennan Johnson. Released by a perfectly weighted through ball from Adam Wharton on 17 minutes, Johnson raced clear of the Villa defence and bore down on Emiliano Martínez. The forward opted for power, but Martínez spread himself superbly, palming the effort to safety and denying Palace the dream start their supporters craved.

Johnson remained central to Palace’s attacking thrusts throughout the half. Yéremy Pino, Palace’s chief creative outlet from the right, picked him out at the back post with a fine delivery, only for Johnson to lash a difficult first‑time volley wide. Those miss‑steps reflected a wider theme of the game: promising attacking positions blunted by wayward finishing.

Midfield battle and defensive discipline define the first half

In the middle of the pitch, the contest was fiercely contested but seldom fluent. For Villa, Douglas Luiz and Tielemans attempted to dictate tempo, looking for line‑breaking passes into Watkins, Rogers and Sancho. Palace, led by the energetic Wharton and the industrious Will Hughes, focused on compactness and quick transitions, breaking forward through Pino and Johnson whenever they could.

As the half wore on, Villa’s Matty Cash added further attacking impetus from right‑back, driving forward and unleashing a half‑volley that deflected off Canvot and whistled wide of Henderson’s post. That effort typified Villa’s evening: enterprising approach play, but just short of the precision needed to beat a well‑organised Palace rearguard.

Martínez withdrawn as second half begins with a twist

The interval brought an unexpected development when Argentina World Cup winner Martínez was replaced in goal by Marco Bizot for Villa, the change understood to be enforced rather than tactical. Bizot was quickly involved, marshalling his defence against a Palace side who noticeably raised the tempo after the restart.

Yet it was Villa who almost forced the breakthrough shortly after half-time. From a set piece, Tielemans collected the ball on the edge of the area and flashed a low shot narrowly wide of Henderson’s left‑hand post, the Palace goalkeeper rooted as the ball skidded past.

Palace seize momentum as Pino leads second-half surge

Gradually, the game’s momentum swung decisively in Palace’s favour. The hosts pressed higher, won second balls and began pinning Villa back for sustained periods. Pino, lively throughout, drove at the Villa back line with growing confidence, combining cleverly with Hughes and Johnson as Glasner’s side sensed an opening.

A spell just after the hour showcased Palace’s most dominant period. First, Pino’s curling effort from the edge of the box was beaten away by Bizot, the substitute keeper reacting sharply to parry the shot away from the top corner. Devenny and Wharton both saw follow‑up attempts blocked by desperate Villa defending in a frantic goalmouth scramble that left the home support gasping at what might have been.

Minutes later, Pino again drew a smart save, cutting inside to unleash a fierce low drive that Bizot beat out with strong hands. On both occasions, Villa’s centre‑backs – Ezri Konsa and Victor Lindelöf – threw themselves in front of shots, underlining why both would later be singled out for praise, Konsa in particular sharing Player of the Match honours on a night when defenders ruled.

VAR drama and near-misses in a frantic closing spell

As Palace’s pressure built, the match’s intensity rose. The hosts thought they might have a penalty when Johnson tumbled in the area under close attention, but after a brief check VAR ruled there had been no foul, and Johnson was instead booked for simulation. That decision inflamed the home fans but summed up an evening when neither side could find the stroke of luck needed in the final third.

Jean‑Philippe Mateta, largely starved of clear service, came agonisingly close to snatching the winner. Johnson, now operating with real menace from the flank, drilled a low cross across the face of goal, with Mateta sliding in at the far post only to finish inches short of making contact. It was the sort of chance that, if converted, would have neatly capped Palace’s impressive second‑half response.

Instead, the final word in terms of goal threat almost belonged to Villa. With time running out, they earned a succession of corners and briefly turned the territorial tide. One such set piece saw Lindelöf rise highest and send a downward header against the woodwork, the frame of Henderson’s goal coming to Palace’s rescue as Selhurst Park held its collective breath. Shortly afterwards, Rogers swiveled in the area and blazed over when well placed, another wasted opportunity that summed up Villa’s frustration.

Managers’ contrasting emotions: pride versus irritation

After the final whistle, both camps could find reasons for satisfaction and regret in equal measure. From Palace’s perspective, the point represented a valuable step in halting a worrying run of form, particularly given the injury crisis and the quality of the opponent. The clean sheet, secured through committed blocking, sharp goalkeeping and excellent individual displays from centre‑backs such as Marc Guéhi, provided further encouragement.

Glasner will also be buoyed by the performance levels of Pino and Johnson. Pino’s relentless directness and willingness to shoot gave Palace a clear attacking focal point, while Johnson’s movement and involvement in several key chances suggested he will quickly become integral to the Eagles’ forward line at Selhurst Park.

Emery, by contrast, cut an agitated figure at full time. Villa’s manager argued his side had “dominated the first half” and created enough chances to win the game, only for wasteful finishing and resolute Palace defending to deny them. His irritation was compounded by the late penalty appeal involving Tielemans, which he insisted should at least have merited a full VAR review.

Ultimately, though, Emery will know the draw owed as much to Villa’s own lack of clinical edge as any officiating calls. With Watkins denied by Henderson and the post, and Rogers and Lindelöf both spurning big moments, Villa left south London with only themselves to blame for not turning superiority in phases into three points.

Defensive excellence overshadowing attacking waste

In the end, this was a match defined more by what did not happen in the penalty areas than what did. Both teams produced phases of dominance – Villa in the first half, Palace in the second – yet lacked the ruthlessness required to tilt a finely balanced contest. The absence of goals, however, should not disguise the quality of several individual defensive displays.

For Palace, Henderson’s big saves from Watkins and his commanding presence under a late barrage of corners underscored why he has quickly become such an important figure in goal. Ahead of him, Guéhi and Lacroix read danger expertly, while Canvot’s blocks and Mitchell’s recovery work on the left helped preserve the clean sheet.

For Villa, Konsa’s composure and Lindelöf’s aerial dominance – capped by that late header against the post – were central to their own shutout, especially once Bizot was introduced in place of Martínez. Their resilience meant that, even when Palace turned the screw, genuine clear‑cut chances remained relatively rare.

What the result means

The stalemate ensures Palace extend their unbeaten run against Aston Villa to seven matches in the Premier League, a psychological edge that Glasner’s men will gladly maintain as they look to climb away from the lower reaches of the table. The point may not transform their season on its own, but the manner of the performance – organised, aggressive and increasingly confident as the night wore on – offers a platform on which to build.

For Villa, it is a missed opportunity. A win would have applied real pressure on the teams above them; instead, they take a solitary point and the nagging sense that the margins at the top are too fine to squander such chances. Emery’s side remain well placed in the hunt for European football, but this was a reminder that dominance in spells must be matched by decisiveness in front of goal.

At Selhurst Park, the scoreboard read 0-0, but beneath the surface it told a more complex story: of Palace’s grit and adaptability amid adversity, of Villa’s flickering but unfulfilled ambition, and of a night when, for all the effort expended, the decisive moment simply refused to arrive.