Draw frustrates Aston Villa as they lose momentum in the Premier League race

Crystal Palace managed a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at Selhurst Park, helping coach Oliver Glasner maintain a seven-game unbeaten run against Unai Emery, even though both teams had multiple opportunities.

Crystal Palace and Aston Villa ended goalless at Selhurst Park, unable to break the deadlock, a result that allowed coach Oliver Glasner to prolong his streak of seven unbeaten matches against Unai Emery on the sidelines. Both teams created clear chances, but poor finishing meant the match concluded without any goals.

Crystal Palace started with strong determination. Brennan Johnson, a new signing from Tottenham, nearly had a perfect home debut when he broke through to receive a clever through ball from Adam Wharton. However, his shot from a favorable position was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who tipped it over the bar.

After escaping defeat, Aston Villa gradually regained control and responded with dangerous moves from Ollie Watkins. The in-form striker had two consecutive chances, once denied by Dean Henderson rushing out, and another blocked heroically by defender Maxence Lacroix inside the penalty area.

A small turning point came at halftime when Emiliano Martínez had to leave the pitch due to injury. Backup goalkeeper Marco Bizot was brought on, making his fifth Premier League appearance this season. Aston Villa deliberately slowed the pace of the game to give Bizot time to adjust to the match intensity.

Early in the second half, the visitors had a chance to open the scoring when Youri Tielemans shot following a wall pass from Victor Lindelöf, but the ball flew over the crossbar. On the other end, Henderson continued to show his reliability by reacting quickly to prevent Lacroix from accidentally scoring an own goal.

Crystal Palace refused to be dominated and kept pressing. Yéremy Pino unleashed a curling shot forcing Bizot to make a fine save, followed by Lucas Digne’s timely block of a dangerous rebound attempt by Justin Devenny. The tension peaked in the final minutes when Watkins hit the post with a header, narrowly missing the chance to secure a win for Aston Villa.

This draw means Aston Villa, currently near the top of the table, continue to wait for a victory over Palace since September 2023. As for the hosts, Crystal Palace sit 13th and despite a more positive performance, they still have not ended their eight-game winless streak across all competitions, much to the disappointment of the fans at Selhurst Park.