Crystal Palace thoroughly deserved their victory here. They shook off a shaky start to draw level within minutes of conceding and never looked back.
A frequent complaint from the Eagles’ faithful last season was that they did not get what they deserved, drawing matches they should have won and losing those where they merited a point. Here, Palace got the luck they were perhaps due, with a fortunate VAR decision going their way to tip the game in their favour.
Whatever your view of that penalty decision – Steven Gerrard certainly wasn’t happy - there is no question about Palace’s overall superiority. On a day of good performances all over the pitch, Ebere Eze’s majestic gliding and Cheick Doucoure’s masterful control of midfield were particular standouts.
Once in front, Palace pressed their advantage ruthlessly and quickly added a third. Last season that probably wouldn’t have happened. If they can start turning such superiority into victories consistently, there is no limit to how far they could go.
Zaha continues hot streak
Since the start of 2020/21, the top 5 scorers in the Premier League are:
Mo Salah – 46
Harry Kane – 42
Son Heung-min – 40
Jamie Vardy – 30
Wilfried Zaha & Bruno Fernandes – 28
That is quite some company the Palace talisman is keeping. Yet another superlative performance yesterday saw two more goals, the first a brilliantly taken left-footed effort after he had run from the halfway line and held off two challenges.
At 29 years old, Zaha is at the peak of his powers and showing no signs of slowing down. This is likely to be his last season at Palace as he is in the final year of his contract and he will be desperate to beat last season’s tally of 15 goals, his best ever return.
On this form, that looks a safe bet.
Villa struggling
Aston Villa were well beaten at Selhurst Park. After a positive start that saw them ahead after just five minutes through Ollie Watkins’ smart finish, they quickly ran out of steam and by the end of the game looked ragged.
There is no doubting the quality in a squad that boats Philippe Coutinho, Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, Boubacar Kamara and others, but they do not seem to be gelling at the moment and one wonders if Steven Gerrard really knows his best team.
On the opening day at Bournemouth they lined up in a 4-3-3 with Bailey, Ings and Coutinho as forwards. Then last week against Everton, Gerrard went with a front two of Ings and Ollie Watkins. Yesterday, it was Bailey, Watkins and Buendia.
Although squad rotation is part of the modern game, Gerrard must find a way to improve a side that currently has no clear identity, and he must do it quickly. Villa have taken 26 points from their last 24 games and it will not be long until the board start getting anxious.
Gerrard's full-backs lacking consistency
Key to Villa’s lightning start yesterday were their full-backs, Lucas Digne and Matty Cash. The overlapping runs of Cash, in particular, caused huge problems for Palace in the opening 20 minutes and it looked like the home side would struggle to contain them.
As the game wore on, however, Palace got a foothold in the game and Digne and Cash were pinned back, their influence on the game waning as the rest of their team gradually wilted.
Pushing both full-backs extremely high up the pitch is a known tactical gambit of Gerrard’s from his time at Rangers. In Gers’ 20/21 title-winning season, James Tavernier was one of the chief creators in the team and notched an incredible 19 goals from right-back.
However, it is a very different proposition doing this in a league where you are the dominant force to attempting it in the Premier League. A 3-5-2 may be the answer, allowing Cash and Digne to operate as wing-backs, but new centre-back Diego Carlos has just been ruled out for the long term with a serious Achilles injury, limiting their options.
Either way, Gerrard needs fresh ideas if he is to kickstart Villa’s season.
