Match Review: Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace

It was another bleak performance by Aston Villa as they were hammered 3-0 by Crystal Palace last night. It ended Villa's 19 home matches unbeaten and continues the Eagles' success over the Villans in the last couple of seasons. The match, for Villa, was largely clouded by Emiliano Martinez's future, where it was reported that the Argentinian didn't want to play due to wanting a move to Manchester United. Chants of "The World's Number One" to backup goalkeeper Marco Bizot echoed around Villa Park as the supporters sent a clear message to Martinez.

Match Overview

Villa started relatively brightly in the first 15 minutes, controlling the game with ball and looking better than they did in the first two matches. That however, quickly changed when Palace were awarded a penalty for a foul by Bizot on Daichi Kamada in the 21st minute. Jean-Philippe Mateta tucked it away, scoring his sixth goal against Villa in the eight matches he has faced them. Ollie Watkins had a great chance to draw level in the 41st minute with a ball over the top by John McGinn, but the 1 on 1 was saved by Dean Henderson's face.

Unai’s post-match thoughts.

— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 31, 2025

At half-time Unai Emery brought on Emiliano Buendia for new signing Evann Guessand. Buendia looked bright as Villa started the second-half well and the mood around Villa Park began to lift. That was short-lived as a counter-attack by Palace led to a Marc Guehi stunner in the 68th minute that quickly ended all hope Villa had. To add salt into the wounds of both Villa players and supporters, Ismalia Sarr scored his inevitable goal with a header flicked on by Maxence Lacroix from a long-throw. The game then dwindled out to a finish as Villa continued their poor start to the season. They are the only team in England's top four leagues to not have scored a goal yet this season.

Looking Ahead

For Villa the international break may have come at a good time. After the transfer window finishes at 7:00 PM tonight, Villa can draw a line under their difficult transfer activity and more importantly their horrible start to the season. From tomorrow morning they will know what players are in their squad and everything that has happened over the last month can be forgotten. It will be a chance to reset and regroup before their next match away to Everton on September 13th.

Deadline Day Activity

Emery has made it clear Villa need new signings and today's Deadline Day is expected to be a hectic one. Martinez's future will be decided as Manchester United look to secure a new goalkeeper out of Antwerp's Senne Lammens and Martinez. Villa would have to replace the 32-year-old and are keen to add to their attacking ranks. Villa's constraints by financial rules means they are limited to what they can afford and so will have to work smartly.