Adam Wharton made his first start for four months in Crystal Palace's 4-1 win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night. Oliver Hopkins of Opta Analyst analyses the midfielder's commanding all-round display.
Crystal Palace’s 4-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on Tuesday was a rarity. Not because Palace won convincingly – they’ve made a habit of that lately – but because it came at Selhurst Park.
Oliver Glasner’s side have been flying away from home. Their 2-0 win at Fulham last Saturday marked a fourth consecutive Premier League away victory and extended their unbeaten run on the road to nine matches (W6 D3). Since the start of November, only leaders Liverpool have more away points (22) than the Eagles (21), having also played one game fewer.
At home, however, it’s been a different story. Last night’s win against Villa was only their third victory of the season at Selhurst Park. Their tally of 14 points from home games places them 15th in a hypothetical table based solely on home results. In contrast, their 22 points on the road ranks them fourth in the Premier League’s away table.
Despite that discrepancy, winning breeds confidence – and Palace have been doing plenty of it of late. They’ve won eight of their last 12 games in all competitions, losing just twice during that stretch. It was only a matter of time before their improving performances paid dividends at home.
And so it proved against Villa. In spite of Villa’s away struggles – they have lost seven of their last nine league away matches – they are still a quality side pushing for European qualification. And yet, Palace delivered one of their most dominant displays of the season and were well worthy of the three points.
Although it took until the 28th minute for Palace to register their first shot at goal, they ended the half with a frantic flurry of chances. The Eagles attempted seven shots in the final 20 minutes of the first period, with Villa managing none in that time.
Palace’s Expected Goals (xG) of 2.0 in the first half was their fourth-highest total on record in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match. By full-time, they had amassed an xG of 4.3, the club’s highest figure ever recorded in top-flight history. While that number was inflated by close-range finishes from Ismaila Sarr and Eddie Nketiah, Palace still had to create those opportunities, and they did so with authority.
Wharton's attacking influence
Despite a brace from Sarr and further strikes by Jean-Philippe Mateta and Nketiah, it was Adam Wharton – making his first start in nearly four months following groin surgery – who shone.
Although he did not register an assist, Wharton had a key role in each of Palace’s first three goals. His incisive passing, deft first touch and ability to control the ball in tight spaces stood out.
The midfielder was involved in eight of Palace’s shots in open play, a tally only Sarr could better (and he played almost 10 more minutes).
Over the course of the season, despite injury limiting him to just 759 minutes, Wharton also ranks favourably in this category on a per-90-minutes basis. His 5.3 open-play attacking-sequence involvements per 90 is second only to Eberechi Eze (5.7) among Palace players. Tuesday night gave us a glimpse of what they have been missing.
It was an all-action display from Wharton, who put in a performance that reminded everyone why he was called up to Gareth Southgate’s squad for UEFA Euro 2024, despite playing just three months of Premier League football beforehand.
What was most notable about his passing was how often he attempted to play forward. His passing accuracy of 70 per cent reflects the difficulty of the passes he attempted, but his pass map below shows just how progressive he was.
He attempted 14 passes into the final third, more than any other Palace player, and it was telling that of his 21 successful passes, his most common recipients – Eze (five), Mateta (four) and Sarr (three) – were all playing ahead of him.
He combined that on-the-ball work with plenty of off-the-ball energy, winning six of his eight duels and earning possession back for Palace seven times, the joint-most of anyone in a home shirt.
Wharton’s return will be particularly welcomed by Mateta, who received the ball to feet on numerous occasions and linked up well with the youngster. The Frenchman has been in outstanding form, scoring eight Premier League goals in 2025, the joint-most in the competition alongside Mohamed Salah.
Mateta has already hit 12 goals this campaign and has thrived under Glasner’s management. Since the Austrian’s appointment almost exactly a year ago, only Alexander Isak (30), Erling Haaland (29), Salah (28) and Cole Palmer (26) have scored more Premier League goals than Mateta’s 25.
With an FA Cup fifth-round tie at home to Millwall, followed by league games against Ipswich Town and Southampton, Palace have a real opportunity to continue this momentum.
Progression to the FA Cup quarter-finals and a continued rise up the table seem well within reach. And with Wharton back in the fold, their prospects look even brighter.
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