Crystal Palace strengthened their bid for a top-half Premier League finish with a commanding 4-1 victory over Aston Villa, as Ismaila Sarr marked his 27th birthday with a decisive brace.
The win was Palace’s eighth in their last 12 matches across all competitions (D2, L2).
After ending a five-game league winless streak against Chelsea, Villa started brightly in South London, with Youri Tielemans wasting an early chance by heading wide from close range.
However, Palace gradually found their rhythm, and their persistence paid off when Emiliano Martínez parried Chris Richards’ header straight into Sarr’s path, allowing the winger to slot home the opener.
Buoyed by the breakthrough, the hosts pushed for a second, but Martínez denied Sarr, while Jean-Philippe Mateta missed a golden opportunity, dragging his effort wide.
Villa thought they had equalized before halftime when Morgan Rogers found the net, only for VAR to rule it out due to a marginal offside against Ollie Watkins in the build-up.
Undeterred, Villa came out strong after the break and drew level within seven minutes, as Watkins’ clever flick set up Rogers, who turned sharply in the box before firing into the bottom corner.
However, Palace quickly responded, reclaiming the lead just eight minutes later when Mateta capitalized on a loose ball at the edge of the area and rifled a stunning strike past substitute goalkeeper Robin Olsen for his 12th league goal of the season.
The action remained end-to-end, with Ezri Konsa hitting the crossbar as Villa searched for another equalizer. But it was Palace who struck again in the 71st minute, as Daniel Muñoz’s cross found Sarr, who volleyed home his second of the night.
Villa’s misery was compounded in stoppage time when Eddie Nketiah netted his first league goal for Palace, sealing a seventh away defeat in nine matches for Unai Emery’s side.
The result leaves Villa four points off the top four, while Palace move up to 12th, closing the gap to their opponents to just six points.
