It's win, win, win, even if the most important win didn't happen
- James
- 3 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Match Details
🟨 7 Jan 2026 Villa 0-0 Palace, Selhurst Park
Match: #5810
Season: 2025-26
Matchday: #28
League Game: #21
Manager Game: #168
Date: Wednesday, 7 January 2026
Venue: Selhurst Park
Kick off: 7.30pm
Manager: Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022-
Last Five Games
🟩 🟩 🟩 🟥 🟩
Head to Head
Last 5 vs. Palace: 🟥 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟥
Total 🕒 58 | 🟩 W23 (40%) | 🟨 D16 | 🇺 (68%) 🟥 L19 (33%) | ⚽ 79 | 🥅 68 | GD 11
Full Head to Head: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/crystal-palace
Team News
Pau Torres returns to the squad after six games but Tyrone Mings is not risked and misses his 14th consecutive game.
Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana are also out, with the former likely to remain on the sidelines until February, but the latter is hopefully set to return before the end of the month.
Line Up
GK Emiliano Martínez | 🇦🇷 | 🔁 |
RB Matty Cash | 🏴 🇵🇱 |
CB Ezri Konsa | 🏴 |
CB Victor Lindelöf | 🇸🇪 |
LB Lucas Digne | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
DM Boubacar Kamara | 🇫🇷 | 🔁 |
CM Youri Tielemans | 🇧🇪 |
CM John McGinn | 🏴 | 🔁 |
AM Morgan Rogers | 🏴 |
LW Jadon Sancho | 🏴 | 🔁 |
CF Ollie Watkins | 🏴 |
Did you know? Villa have to play their reserve goalkeeper for the fifth time in their last seven games against Palace, and for the second time in three, it's necessitated by a first-half injury to Emiliano Martínez at Selhurst.
Substitutes
🔁 | GK Marco Bizot | 🇳🇱 | for GK Emiliano Martínez | 🇦🇷 | 46’ |
🔁 | AM Emiliano Buendía | 🇦🇷 | for LW Jadon Sancho | 🏴 | 65’ |
🔁 | RW Donyell Malen | 🇳🇱 | for CM John McGinn | 🏴 | 73’ |
🔁 | LB Ian Maatsen | 🇳🇱 | for LB Lucas Digne | 🇫🇷 | 73’ |
🔁 | DM Lamare Bogarde | 🇳🇱 | for DM Boubacar Kamara | 🇫🇷 | 82’ |
Unused Substitutes
CB Pau Torres | 🇪🇸 |
RB Andrés García | 🇪🇸 |
CM Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba | 🏴 |
M George Hemmings | 🏴 |
Did you know? All four of Pau Torres' unused substitute appearances in 2025-26 have ended in a draw.
First Half Timeline
🕒 45’+2 HT Crystal Palace 0-0 Aston Villa
Half-Time Insight
They kicked off, then blew the half-time whistle with little else in between other than three penalty shouts, you've seen them given in the early days of VAR, and two chances for Ollie.
They're there for the taking. Move up a gear, and there'll be a goal frenzy.
Second Half Timeline
🔁 46’ Sub off, Emiliano Martínez, Sub on, Marco Bizot
🔁 65’ Sub off, Jadon Sancho, Sub on, Emiliano Buendía
[🟨] 67’ Booking, (Crystal Palace), Brennan Johnson, Simulation
🔁 73’ Sub off, John McGinn, Sub on, Donyell Malen
🔁 73’ Sub off, Lucas Digne, Sub on, Ian Maatsen
🔁 82’ Sub off, Boubacar Kamara, Sub on, Lamare Bogarde
[🟨] 83’ Booking, (Crystal Palace), Tyrick Mitchell
🕒 90’+4 FT Crystal Palace 0-0 Aston Villa
Full-Time Insight
We weren't at our usual level but still had our moments.
The win would have been another incredible step forward regardless of opposition, but it wasn't to be.
We were nowhere near it at times, and at other points, we were looking like the only winners.
VARs' intervention, or lack of it, is yet again a talking point at Selhurst.
But not getting beaten is the key, especially as losing the keeper always interrupts momentum.
I guess we'd all take that at Selhurst, given recent history.
Hopefully, Martínez doesn't keep making a habit of this. If he's not fit, he needs to step away for a while so Bizot can fully prepare his game. With City drawing nothing's changed, we're still neck and neck.
Tomorrow is Arsenal-Liverpool, and there's not a bad outcome for us there.
A draw and still nothing changes above or below, and we keep an eight-point gap to fourth.
A Liverpool win, and they close within six points, but the gap to Arsenal doesn't increase, and we all know Arteta's black art boys don't take setbacks well.Arsenal win and Liverpool stay nine points behind.
Win, win, win, even if the most important win didn't happen
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5810
Head to Head
Last 5 vs. Palace: 🟨 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟨
Total 🕒 59 | 🟩 W23 (39%) | 🟨 D17 | 🇺 (68%) 🟥 L19 (32%) | ⚽ 79 | 🥅 68 | GD 11
Full Head to Head: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/crystal-palace
League Table
Officials
Referee: Andy Madley | 🏴 | Huddersfield, 2016-
Game Rating: 6/10
Realistically he and 'new' VAR were never going to give those penalties, although as we all know we've seen them given, but beyond that he made plenty of little mistakes that could have made the difference between one and three points on the road.
Referee: Andy Madley | 🏴 | Huddersfield, 2016-
🕒 27 | 🟩 13 | 🟨 4 | 🟥 7 |
🕒 27 | 🟩 48% | 🟨 15% | 🟥 26% |
Cards 🟨 54 | 🟥 2 | 2.07 |
Opposition Cards 🟨 62 | 🟥 0 | 2.30 |
Penalty ⚽ 4 | 🥅 2 |
Last 5: 🟩 🟥 🟩 🟩 🟨
Full Referee History: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5810
VAR: Michael Oliver | 🏴 | Northumberland, 2021-
Game Rating: 3/10
Last year he would probably have awarded three penalties to Villa, but they don't do that anymore, apparently. His real error wasn't the handball calls but his fleeting glance at the Tielemans holding incident, as ever it isn't VAR that is the problem, it's the handling of it, and Oliver failed.
VAR: Michael Oliver | 🏴 | Northumberland, 2021-
🕒 13 | 🟩 5 | 🟨 3 | 🟥 5 |
🕒 13 | 🟩 38% | 🟨 24% | 🟥 38% |
Cards 🟨 25 | 🟥 0 | 1.92 |
Opposition Cards 🟨 35 | 🟥 1 | 2.77 |
Penalty ⚽ 0 | 🥅 3 |
Last 5: 🟥 🟨 🟩 🟩 🟨
The Boss
Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | Hondarribia, 2022-
🕒 168 | 🟩 | 94 🟨 | 30 🟥 44 | 1.86
Highest Win rate of any Villa manager: 55.95% Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee: 49.55%
Highest Top Flight Win rate of any Villa manager: 54.92%
Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee: 48.14%
“It was a very fantastic response from the players here away against Crystal Palace.
“We were winning a lot of matches but how we competed today as well was really fantastic. We dominated the first half, had chances to score and didn’t concede a lot.
“In the second half, we started with the same idea and started dominating again. We lost 15-20 minutes when they pushed, creating some chances to score.
“In that moment we were struggling, but we reacted fantastically in the last 20 minutes and created chances, hitting the post through Ollie Watkins, a very good opportunity for Morgan and Emiliano Buendía.
“We competed fantastic. In this match we were closer to winning but we drew, and we must accept it. How we are overall in the table on day 21 is fantastic.
“Now we have the FA Cup against Tottenham, again away, again travelling, but we are accepting it.
“We must rest now, take good food and prepare the match on Saturday.
“Starting this competition, the FA Cup, a competition last year that we played a semi-final. Hopefully we can repeat that.”
Unai Emery, post-match.
"One point is not enough, but I am happy overall with how we are after 21 games. We must keep going. I am looking forward to preparing for the games against Tottenham, Everton, and then in the Europa League. I am so focused on the next weeks.
"We hit the post with Watkins and were close to winning. This is the mentality. You can win, lose, or draw, but we are building the team. Every player had a huge commitment to defend like we planned. I am really happy and proud with how we played.
"We were I think closer to win than lose, and we draw. We must accept it, how we are overall in the table in day 21 is fantastic and keep going. I'm looking forward to prepare for the next games.
"I am delighted with how we are in our process. To get one point here is fantastic. How we are in the table, we can be happy with the point, but then we can analyse the match. We could have won more than we could have lost."
Unai Emery, post-match.
"VAR must check the action on Youri Tielemans [being held in box]. It is a potential penalty. If they checked Johnson's possible penalty, which was clear for me, then Tielemans' penalty in the corner [late on] should have been checked."
Unai Emery on Michael Oliver's failing.
“Aston Villa deserve the same respect as other teams of EPL. We don’t want any favour or injustice for others: we want and demand respect.”
Damian Vidagany as usual puts it more bluntly.
On This Day
Ezri Konsa 🏴 makes his 150th start under Unai Emery 🇪🇸
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/ezri-konsa
Victor Lindelöf 🇸🇪 makes his 15th appearance for Villa.
Victor Lindelöf 🇸🇪 makes his 10th start for Villa.
Victor Lindelöf 🇸🇪 makes his 10th Premier League appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/victor-lindel%C3%B6f
Lamare Bogarde 🇳🇱 makes his 20th substitute appearance for Villa.
Lamare Bogarde 🇳🇱 makes his 15th Premier League substitute appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/lamare-bogarde
Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba 🏴 makes his 15th unused substitute appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/jamaldeen-jimoh-aloba
Morgan Rogers 🏴 makes his 90th start for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/morgan-rogers
Youri Tielemans 🇧🇪 makes his 95th start for Villa.
Youri Tielemans 🇧🇪 makes his 65th Premier League start for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/youri-tielemans
Donyell Malen 🇳🇱 makes his 35th Premier League appearance for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/donyell-malen
Marco Bizot 🇳🇱 makes his 5th Premier League appearance for Villa and his first as a substitute. Marco Bizot 🇳🇱 keeps his fourth clean sheet in 9 appearances for Villa.
Full Player Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/player/marco-bizot
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