Captain fantastic: Guéhi’s curler and Palace’s discipline silence Villa Park in a statement 3-0

Crystal Palace delivered a superbly drilled away display to win 3-0 at Aston Villa, ending the hosts’ long unbeaten home run and banking their first Premier League victory of the season. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 21-minute penalty rewarded a smart plan, Marc Guéhi’s glorious second-half strike arrived at the perfect moment, and Ismaïla Sarr’s back-post header completed a ruthless night.

This was control by design. Oliver Glasner’s team absorbed pressure, threatened on the break, and trusted Dean Henderson to handle Villa’s best looks. When Villa were surging after the interval, Guéhi produced a captain’s masterpiece to make it 2-0 before Sarr’s 78-minute finish from a long throw iced the win and snapped Villa’s 19-game Premier League unbeaten home run.

Glasner’s blueprint, executed to perfection

Palace were content to sit compact, draw Villa onto them, and break through Daniel Muñoz’s forays and the pace of Sarr and Mateta. The opening arrived when Daichi Kamada was tripped by Marco Bizot; Mateta, who has been in prolific form across the calendar year, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot. Soon after, Muñoz’s cross found Sarr, whose header drifted over — a reminder of the threat in transition.

Villa’s most dangerous first-half moment saw Henderson stand up to Ollie Watkins and block bravely. From there, Palace’s shape held, lines were tight, and every escape forward looked like a chance to double the lead. The margins were small, the execution sharp.

Guéhi rises above the noise to decide it

With speculation swirling around Liverpool’s bid, Guéhi wore the armband and the moment. He helped start the move from deep and, when Ezri Konsa’s clearance squirted out to the edge, he bent a beautiful shot into the far top corner. The away end serenaded their captain as Villa’s surge stalled in an instant.

Glasner has been clear that Palace need to keep Guéhi if they want a successful season, and this performance showed why: composure in possession, authority in command, and, when it mattered, end-product at the highest level. In a week dominated by transfer noise, Palace’s captain provided clarity.

Henderson’s backbone and Sarr’s seal

Henderson’s interventions framed the victory. He beat away Watkins before the interval and then dived low to his right to turn aside Morgan Rogers after the restart, moments that preserved the platform for Guéhi’s strike. Each save reinforced the compactness in front of him.

The third owed everything to set-piece sharpness. Jefferson Lerma launched a long throw, Maxence Lacroix glanced it on, and Sarr arrived at the back post to nod home on 78 minutes. It was brave, simple, and decisive — the finish that transformed control into a statement scoreline.

Momentum swells, with one fitness caveat

Palace’s form line keeps curving upward: a club-record 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions, five wins and a draw in the last six meetings with Villa, a Community Shield in the cabinet, and Conference League progression after a goalless draw at Fredrikstad. New signing Yeremy Pino impressed in a late cameo, and the first league win lifts the Eagles to five points in eighth.

The one concern was Adam Wharton’s withdrawal around the 56th minute; he is due a scan. Otherwise, Glasner can let the break arrive with momentum intact and a clear target: keep the core together. Sunderland visit Selhurst Park next, and on this evidence, Palace will relish the chance to extend their run.