September 16, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa staged a dramatic late comeback to defeat Crystal Palace 3-1, at Villa Park, on Saturday.
Palace manager, Roy Hodgson, was absent due to illness, with first-team coaches, Paddy McCarthy and Ray Lewington, taking charge of the visiting side. The match started promisingly for the home side, with several missed chances to take the lead in the first half. However, Palace striker, Odsonne Edouard, struck early in the second half to give the visitors a surprise 1-0 advantage.
Villa continued to press for an equaliser and were rewarded in the 87th minute when substitute Jhon Duran fired home a precise shot to make it 1-1. Then deep into stoppage time, a penalty awarded to Villa survived a lengthy VAR review before Douglas Luiz converted to put Villa ahead. Leon Bailey added a third goal just minutes later to secure a 3-1 victory.
September 16, (THEWILL) – The dramatic win was Villa’s ninth consecutive home league victory, matching their best post-war top-flight record. Palace struggled to contain Villa’s pace and running throughout the match. The late collapse will be disheartening for Palace, who had led for much of the second half before the late Villa surge.
The result sees Villa continue their impressive form under manager Unai Emery, while Palace were unable to capitalise on Hodgson’s absence to pick up points on the road. Villa turn to the Europa Conference League next, away to Legia Warszawa, on Thursday, while Palace will take on Fulham at home on Saturday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
