Villa’s search for a spark goes on as Palace pounce to end the Villa Park run

Aston Villa’s grip on their home aura loosened with a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, a result that snapped a long unbeaten sequence at Villa Park and extended a worrying goal drought. Marco Bizot’s foul on Daichi Kamada yielded Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty, Dean Henderson smothered key moments, and when the pressure finally built after the break, Marc Guéhi’s curler and Ismaïla Sarr’s late header settled it.

Unai Emery’s side controlled early phases and improved further when Emi Buendia entered at half-time, but the evening swung on details. Henderson denied Ollie Watkins and then Morgan Rogers; Guéhi’s strike arrived just as Villa looked likeliest; and Sarr’s 78-minute finish from a long throw rubbed salt into a frustrating night that ended a 19-game Premier League unbeaten home run and a broader 22-match Villa Park streak.

Control without cutting edge

Villa dictated the ball for long stretches, pinning Palace back and working their way around a well-drilled block. There were half-chances: Youri Tielemans twice threatened from corners at either end of the first half, and Watkins drew a brave close-range block from Henderson. But one slip proved costly: when Bizot, deputising for the absent Emiliano Martinez, tripped Kamada on 21 minutes, Mateta dispatched the penalty.

The setback frayed Villa’s rhythm. Palace even threatened a second before the interval when Daniel Muñoz surged forward and Sarr headed over. Emery’s team still reached half-time believing the game was there for them, but they lacked the clean final action that has eluded them since opening day.

Momentum built, then broken by a captain’s curler

Emi Buendia’s introduction brought tempo and angles. Rogers worked a low effort toward the far corner that Henderson clawed away, and Villa pressed higher, compressing Palace’s outlets. The Villa Park crowd sensed a change; Palace’s back line bent without breaking.

Then the hammer blow. After Villa’s pressure forced a loose passage that Ezri Konsa could not fully clear, Guéhi, who had started the move from deep, arrived on the second ball and curled an immaculate shot into the top corner from the edge of the box. Chasing an equaliser became chasing a lost cause when a Jefferson Lerma long throw was flicked on by Maxence Lacroix and Sarr nodded in at the far post on 78 minutes.

Noise off the pitch, choices on it

Emery acknowledged before kick-off that he needed players fully focused, explaining Martinez’s absence amid Manchester United interest. In his place, Bizot’s early decision defined the narrative. At the other end of the pitch, Evann Guessand struggled to impact the first half and was withdrawn at the interval for Buendia, who injected invention but could not unlock Henderson.

There were penalty shouts for Villa either side of the break that went unanswered, adding to the sense of a night where fine margins leaned the wrong way. Emery, who has spoken of the need to restore balance in the squad as the window closes, will hope the break provides reset and clarity.

Where Villa stand — and what must change

The statistics are stark. Villa are second-bottom with one point and, for the first time in 28 years, have failed to score in their opening three league matches. The defeat also ends their 19-game home league unbeaten run and their 22-match overall sequence at Villa Park. The frustration in the stands grew as promising approach play fizzled and Palace pounced on set plays and second balls.

Yet there were strands to grasp. Buendia’s spark, Rogers’ intent, and long spells of control suggest structure remains; the missing piece is end-product, and a calming of the noise around key positions. The trip to Everton after the international break offers an immediate chance to reset a season that has started badly.