Four things we learnt from Palace’s demolition of Aston Villa
Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace side have one of the best records in the league when it comes to their away form, at home however it is a totally different story.
Before the game with Aston Villa the Eagles had only won twice at Selhurst Park in the league this season. This was all about to change however as Glasner’s side lead by an in form Ismailia Sarr overcome Villa by four goals to one.
After a dull first half hour Sarr put Palace into the lead when he reacted quickest to Emi Martinez’s save before Morgan Rodgers had a goal disallowed for offside shortly after.
Rodgers found the net again in the second half and this time it counted after half time substitute Robin Olsen’s long ball forward was flicked on by Ollie Watkins for Rodgers to finish.
This only spurred Palace on though as seven minutes later top scorer Jean-Phillipe Mateta made it 2-1. Sarr then grabbed his second of the night after he finished off superbly from a Daniel Munoz cross.
The night ended sweetly for Palace when Eddie Nketiah grabbed his first goal in red and blue in the Premier League as the ball came across the box from Tyrick Mitchell.
The win for Palace gives them slight hope again of European football, but if that it to come to fruition they need to find consistency at home.
It says a lot about a player who doesn’t record a goal nor assist in a 4-1 win when his teammate scored a brace yet he still wins the man of the match award.
Well this player was Adam Wharton. The 21-year-old made his first start in the league since October after undergoing groin surgery and it looked like he’d not missed a minute.
Everything the midfielder did was on point, from his press alongside Will Hughes to his ability to find passes no body else knew were possible. His vision is something this Palace team have missed ever since he picked up his injury.
There isn’t any other Palace player who can move the ball forward quite like Wharton, not only with the accuracy in which he does but the speed he does it in.
While he did not have a direct impact on any goal he did impact three of the four. The first being his ball into the box for Chris Richards to head towards goal for Sarr, followed by his first time pass forward into Ebere Eze for Mateta’s goal.
He then played a part in Palace’s third with a delicate touch on his chest to set up Munoz to cross to Sarr. It was a brilliant display from the England international and a taste of what’s to come for the rest of the season.
The upturn in form for Mateta since the arrival of Glasner has been remarkable. Since February 2024, which is when Glasner joined Palace, the Frenchman has scored 29 goals, level with Mohamed Salah and three behind Erling Haaland.
It is not just his goal scoring record that catches the eye however, his all round game under the Austrian manager has come on leaps and bounds.
The striker is a nightmare for any defender, standing at 6’4 and being pretty well built, when he is one on one with a defender he comes out on top more often than not.
He links play superbly with Eze and Sarr in the front three and is an outlet for the midfield two when they are under pressure. Yes, his goals are vital to Palace but his all round play is arguably just as important.
If Mateta is to have any sort of run to the end of the season like last campaign then it would not be a surprise if Palace have top clubs who are looking for a striker come knocking on their door this summer.
A happy Sarr is a good Sarr
Ismailia Sarr had been a long standing target for Crystal Palace way back in his days at Rennes before his move to Watford. Having played in the Premier League before with the Hornets Sarr never really set the world alight like he would’ve liked to.
There had been interest from Liverpool and Manchester United at times when he was on form but constancy was always his issue.
Now at Palace Sarr seems to have both his quality which he undoubtably possess as well as a level of consistency in his game. The winger has already scored more goals in the league than either of his other two seasons and has match his total in both of these when it comes to goal contributions.
Many have said before that the key to getting the best out of the Senegalese international is to make him feel loved and wanted. He is a shy character who goes about his business with little to no fuss and when he is in a good mood and happy you see the best of him.
Palace is the perfect environment for Sarr, the dressing room he has around him as well as a coach who believes in him and gets the best out of him, there is no reason why he can’t go on to fulfil his potential now in SE25.
Nketiah in the goals
It was a long tome coming but finally Eddie Nketiah scored his first goal for Palace in the Premier League.
It had been a tough start for the former Arsenal man, coming into a team which had been broken up in the summer and added many new faces as well as having a slow start to the season.
The striker was also forced out of position in the early months of the campaign to fulfil the role left by Michael Olise. He then lost his place to Sarr who was much better suited to the role.
Since then Nektiah has had to settle with a roll on the bench for Palace with Mateta being in such good form. Only managing cameo appearances from the bench with little time remaining in games.
His goal on Tuesday reminded us all of what he is all about however, a real poachers finish in the box. It will be a huge boost of confidence for Nketiah to score and hopefully a weight lifted off his shoulders for the remainder of the season.
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