Aston Villa v Crystal Palace, 2024/25

Ross Barkley’s late headed equaliser helped Aston Villa earn a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace at Villa Park, although their winless run now stands at six matches in all competitions.

Unai Emery’s side could not shake their poor form as they were forced to come from behind twice at home to an injury-hit Palace team.

Ismaila Sarr got the visitors off to a flying start with his first goal for the club on four minutes, as he slotted home on the break, though Ollie Watkins brought the hosts level in the 36th minute.

Villa could have gone ahead just before half-time but Dean Henderson brilliantly saved Youri Tielemans' penalty and Palace capitalised on this 60 seconds later, as Justin Devenny put the visitors back in front in first-half stoppage time.

The hosts left it late to snatch an equaliser through Barkley with 13 minutes to go.

Aston Villa go seventh in the table, while Crystal Palace drop below Wolves and into the relegation zone in 18th.

How the match unfolded

The visitors opened the scoring in the fourth minute as Jean-Philippe Mateta picked up the ball on the halfway line before threading the ball through to Sarr, who surged into the box to fire home.

But Villa eventually found the equaliser in the 36th minute as John McGinn clipped a ball through the centre to Watkins on the edge of the box. He rounded Henderson to side-foot home with ease.

They nearly took the lead immediately afterwards as Leon Bailey burst into the right of the box before pinging a shot off the near post.

The hosts came closer still on the stroke of half-time as Villa were awarded a penalty by the referee, following a VAR review after Will Hughes stepped on Bailey’s ankle in the box. But Henderson saved Tielemans’ spot kick low to his right.

Instead, it was Palace who went in ahead at the break as Sarr broke down the right from the Palace box before squaring to Devenny at the other end, who netted at the far post.

Watkins ramped up the intensity for Villa, forcing a last-ditch block from Trevoh Chalobah with a stinging shot in the 75th minute.

But two minutes later, the hosts were rewarded as Barkley rose highest to flick Tielemans' corner in from the centre of the box.

Jeffrey Schlupp nearly had the visitors back in front with a low shot from the edge of the area on 80 minutes, but Emiliano Martinez got a glancing touch to turn it onto the far post.

Emery’s men can’t shake poor form

The hosts would have expected to win at Villa Park against relegation-threatened Palace, facing the absences of key players Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze.

Yet Emery's men had setbacks from the outset, conceding after just four minutes.

It was an issue Villa struggled to resolve as Palace were the more threatening team early on, with the hosts often exposed at the back.

While the work rate of Watkins brought Villa back into the match with a goal in the 31st minute, they missed opportunities to take authority of the game.

Tielemans missed the penalty to go ahead with a strike that was a comfortable height for Henderson to save before Palace raced down the other end to lead once more.

It took a brilliant corner from the left - Tielemans’ redemption - to find Barkley in the box, who headed the shot onto the far post to claw back a point.

But Villa are still looking to end their winless run and their poor form continues.

Sarr makes good on his promise

Summer signing Sarr bagged his first league goal for Palace, and his opener was a sign of things to come for a shaky home defence.

After a fine ball from Mateta that set him on his way, the winger showed great strength and composure to hold off a Villa defender to work space for himself in the box before firing low past Martinez.

Twice more he worked his way in behind the Villa defence in the first half, receiving from Hughes in an overload to the right of the box before surging free from the halfway line to set up Mateta, though he was offside.

Villa would have done well to pay attention to those early warning signs as Sarr was instrumental in Palace’s second goal, charging forward from back to front before cutting across for Devenny to finish.

Sarr could not be contained down the right. He demonstrated his persistent threat further after the break, starting a familiar run on that flank from inside his own half before drawing a free-kick just outside the Villa box following a rash challenge from Ian Maatsen.