Aston Villa 1-2 Crystal Palace

Aston Villa bowed out of the Carabao Cup at the fourth round stage with a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Villa Park on Wednesday evening. 

Unai Emery’s side went behind early on thanks to Eberechi Eze’s header, though soon levelled things up, Jhon Durán steering home his eighth goal of the season. 

However Palace rallied again after the break, and clinched the winner through substitute Daichi Kamada just after the hour, condemning the Lions to their first defeat in 12 matches. 

Emery rang the changes to his starting XI, with 10 alterations from Saturday’s draw at home to Bournemouth, and only skipper John McGinn keeping his place. 

There were starts for Jhon Durán and Emi Buendía, the pair having netted the goals in Villa’s round three victory at Wycombe Wanderers to put their name in the hat, while Joe Gauci made his second start of the competition in goal alongside Ian Maatsen and Kosta Nedeljković in defence. 

All the pre-match headlines were written by returning pair Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings, however, with both starting for the first time since recovering from respective knee injuries. For Mings, it was a first senior appearance since the opening day of the 2023/24 season, some 445 days ago. 

The Villa Park faithful was pleased to have its No5 back on the field, with his first touch of the ball greeted with a warm applause.

Villa started the brighter in transition, and Leon Bailey was the first to test Matthew Turner, who had to be alert to hold the Jamaican’s near-post effort five minutes in, before his scuffed shot rolled a few feet wide of the same post moments later.

But three minutes later, it was the South Londoners who had the lead. Daniel Muñoz picked up the ball on the right-hand side and swung a ball into the middle, where an unmarked Eze placed his header past Gauci and into the bottom corner.

Villa struggled to find their rhythm for a while after their early setback, and Palace could have added a second midway through the first period. Muñoz was again causing Villa problems, lifting a decent ball to the back post which Jean-Philippe Mateta could only head onto the roof of the net. 

And the hosts made their visitors pay moments later, dragging themselves level in the contest through Durán.

Bailey had time on Villa’s right to pick his pass into the centre, with both Durán and Buendía to aim for. The Colombian took one touch and picked his spot, rolling into the bottom corner for his eighth of the season.

Emery’s men had found their groove, and quickly went in search for the lead. Durán was played in behind and, from a tight angle, forced a save out of Turner, who quickly recovered to block Buendía’s follow-up, as the home side ended the first half the stronger of the two sides. 

The second period brought more of the same from a Villa point of view. Within a minute of the restart, Durán had latched on a loose pass from substitute Kamada and fired a stringing long-range effort goalward, which Turner did well to beat away.

The hosts were probing, and Ian Maatsen’s foray forward almost brought a second, as his shot was blocked and Durán was quick to pounce, but unable to steer his effort on target from the rebound.

However, it would be the Eagles who had the next say in the affair, as Kamada this time capitalised on a loose ball from Nedeljković, before steering his strike low into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to put Palace back ahead.

Villa again looked for a response. Jaden Philogene’s effort from distance was deflected into the arms of Turner, as Emery introduced young forwards Kadan Young and Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba from the bench in an attempt to provide more of an attacking spark.

Villa went looking for a late equaliser, but found their attempts to breach a stubborn Palace defence unsuccessful. 

Emery threw bodies forward as the fourth official indicated a further four minutes of added time, with late cries for a penalty to the hosts for handball falling on deaf ears, as the Londoners secured their place in the hat for the quarter-final draw. 

The Villans now turn their attention back to Premier League action, with a 2pm visit to Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.