Crystal Palace produced an assured away performance as they picked up their first Premier League victory of the season with a convincing 3-0 win over a hapless Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Jean-Philippe Mateta set Palace on their way with a 20th-minute penalty before second-half goals from Marc Guehi and Ismaila Sarr secured the win for Oliver Glasner’s side.
Villa, meanwhile, were hoping to avenge last season’s FA Cup semi-final defeat but it proved to be a repeat of that April afternoon at Wembley as the west Midlanders fell to a first home league defeat in 19 matches.
The result compounds what has been a miserable start to the new campaign for Unai Emery’s side.
They are still awaiting a first win of the season and have yet to find the net in any of their opening three fixtures.
How the action unfolded
Villa saw the lion’s share of possession in the opening exchanges but it was Palace who drew first blood on 20 minutes when Daichi Kamada was brought down by Villa keeper Marco Bizot in the box.
Referee Stuart Attwell awarded the spot-kick, which Mateta duly dispatched to give Oliver Glasner’s team the early advantage and move the Frenchman onto 49 goals for the London club.
Suddenly, Palace looked to be the team in control. Captain Guehi may well be heading to Liverpool in the coming days but the England international’s committed character showed little sign of wavering as he helped keep Palace’s back door firmly shut.
Villa’s issue, despite the future of keeper Emi Martinez dominating their transfer activity this summer, appears to be at the opposite end of the pitch.
Coming into the game, Unai Emery’s men were the only Premier League side yet to find the back of the net this term, and it seemed like that unwanted label would continue when Dean Henderson denied Ollie Watkins from close range.
Glasner was dealt a hefty blow shortly after the restart when influential midfielder Adam Wharton – who was called up to Thomas Tuchel’s England squad last week – hobbled off on 55 minutes.
Villa, meanwhile, appeared somewhat rejuvenated in the second half. But still, the required finishing touch continued to elude them.
And it would cost them. In the 69th minute, the visitors extended their lead when Guehi found himself at the top end of the pitch and whipped in a wonderful strike into the top corner.
Few parting gifts, if it indeed proves to be just that for Guehi, will be quite as impressive.
Watkins and Donyell Malen then both narrowly off-target for Villa as they desperately tried to claw themselves back into the tie.
But things would soon go from bad to worse for the hosts. Jefferson Lerma’s long throw-in was flicked on to the head of Sarr, who bravely nodded in at the back post for Palace’s third.
It capped off an astute away performance from the FA Cup winners. While for Villa, their difficult start to the season looks increasingly perilous.
