Ismaila Sarr scored twice as Crystal Palace’s sensational second half of the Premier League season continued with a 4-1 win over Aston Villa.
The Eagles made it five wins in seven as they built off Saturday’s victory at Fulham with Sarr’s double – on his 27th birthday – Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 12th league goal of the season and Eddie Nketiah’s late strike.
Morgan Rogers put in a stellar performance for Villa but his goal was not enough as Unai Emery’s men failed to build on their dramatic 2-1 fightback over Chelsea at the weekend.
Watch until the end and make sure your sound is on.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, what a human.#CPFC // #CRYAVL https://t.co/HuxrIuSqV0 pic.twitter.com/JTgk1tUshp
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) February 25, 2025
Villa’s pace on the break threatened Palace’s defence who struggled to contain the pace of Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
With the duo occupying their defenders, Jacob Ramsey picked up a pocket of space in behind and slotted past Dean Henderson in the 25th minute – only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside and deny Emery’s men a dream start.
But just four minutes later, Palace went on to claim a legitimate goal to hamper Villa’s momentum. The Eagles threw numbers forward and after Chris Richards got up early to force Emiliano Martinez into action, the keeper palmed the ball into the path of the alert Sarr who smashed home from close range.
The goal was cleared after a VAR check and the Senegal international continued to show his quality, with his volleyed saved by Martinez shortly after to stop him from collecting his second.
But Watkins and Rogers combined for Villa’s second disallowed goal. Rogers – who will be on the radar of England manager Thomas Tuchel, who was in attendance at Selhurst Park – slipped his strike partner wide before receiving it back first-time and finishing to round off a stunning move.
The offside flag denied the Champions League quarter-finalists once again though, with Watkins’ knee being ahead of his marker when the ball was played into him.
After the break, Watkins and Rogers continued their audition to Tuchel as they combined for the equaliser. A long ball was flicked on by the striker into the path of the elusive Rogers, who swivelled to open his body up and smash home past Henderson.
But Palace deserved to retake their lead and they did so in the 59th minute. A ball across the box was held up by Eberechi Eze and slipped to Mateta, who rifled past Robin Olsen – a half-time replacement for Martinez.
Once the hosts got a second it was only a matter of time until they made it three with Sarr guiding Daniel Munoz’s cross into the bottom left-hand corner.
Nketiah’s first league goal for the club then made it 4-1 in stoppage time.
[(Gangwon FC) Strength]: 1. Last season in the Korean FA Cup, Gangwon FC were eliminated in the Round of 16. This season, the team have made a breakthrough so far and have advanced to the semi-finals. In this second leg, they will play at home and have a strong desire to win.2. Lee Ji Ho, a forward of Gangwon FC, has had limited playing time this season. However, he has maintained high offensive e...
[(Everton F.C.) Strength]: 1. On August 24th, in the 2nd round of the Premier League, Everton F.C. secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., with Jack Grealish providing two assists and putting in an impressive performance.2. Everton F.C. kept unbeaten in the last 3 Premier League home games with 2 wins and 1 draw, showing excellent performances.3. Everton F.C. h...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus are on a 2-game losing streak. They are motivated to win this home game to boost their morale.2. Soichiro Mori scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, showing outstanding form.3. Nagoya Grampus secured a 3-game winning streak in their last 3 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya ...
[(Grimsby Town F.C.) Strength]: 1. Grimsby Town F.C. player Jaze Kabia scored in the last game, with reliable form.2. Grimsby Town F.C. drew 1-1 against Accrington Stanley in the last game, but they still kept unbeaten among all events in the new season, being in stable form.3. Grimsby Town F.C.'s home performance was outstanding. They won all the last 3 home games.4. Grimsby Town F.C. have a good...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. FC Machida Zelvia are undoubtedly motivated to win this home game to qualify for the semi-finals.2. Yuki Soma scored 10 goals and made 6 assists across all competitions this season, being important on the team's offense.3. FC Machida Zelvia drew 0-0 with Yokohama F. Marinos in the last game. They were unbeaten with 11 wins and 1 draw in the last 12 games, showing...
[(Reading F.C.) Strength]: 1. Reading F.C. are playing in the EFL League One this season and are on a 3-game winless run lately. They need to return to winning ways, indicating full motivation in this game.2. Lewis Wing scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with Wycombe Wanderers F.C.3. Reading F.C. won the last 2 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line...
[(Sheffield Wed) Strength]: 1. Sheffield Wed have a rather impressive track record in the EFL Cup. In the first round of this season, they defeated Bolton Wanderers F.C., another team from the EFL Championship, and have posted 3 wins and 2 draws in their last 5 EFL Cup games.2. Sheffield Wed lost only 1 of the last 5 games in AH with stable performances. They ended all the last 4 games with OVER.[...
[(Eintracht Braunschweig) Strength]: 1. As a 2. Bundesliga side, Eintracht Braunschweig have made a solid start to the new season. Having been eliminated in the first round of the DFB-Pokal in each of the past two seasons, the team will undoubtedly be eager to achieve a better performance when they compete in the tournament again this season. Therefore, they will be full of determination when faci...
[(Sturm Graz) Strength]: 1. Sturm Graz suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg on the road. In this home match, they have to go all out to attack, with full motivation to win.2. Sturm Graz midfielder Otar Kiteishvili scored 4 goals in three league games this season, performing excellently in the league. As the starting forward of the team, his performance in this match is worth keeping an eye ...
[(Burnley) Strength]: 1. Burnley's key midfielder Josh Cullen not only opened the scoring for the team in the last game but also provided an assist, emerging as the biggest contributor to the victory with an outstanding individual performance.2. Burnley claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last game, securing their first victory of the new Premier League season and boosting the t...
- 1 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 2 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 3 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 4 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 5 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 6 TIPS - Cerezo Osaka VS Vissel Kobe
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Olympique de Marseille VS Paris FC