Aston Villa 1 Crystal Palace 0 - Player ratings

Emi Martinez

Didn’t have a shot to save but showed confidence in his handling and good judgement when coming off his line.

Untroubled 7

Matty Cash

Effectively shackled Zaha and produced the telling contribution of the match with a cross deflected home by Andersen. Always an outlet.

Lively 8

Ezri Konsa

Had the margins on his side when Zaha’s goal was ruled out for offside. Otherwise assured in everything he did.

Steady 7

Tyrone Mings

The former skipper and his defence have had far tougher tests this season. But his concentration levels were strong throughout the afternoon.

Focused 7

Alex Moreno

A few stray passes in the first half but he gives Villa a decent attacking option on the left. Growing nicely into life in the Premier League.

Bold 6

John McGinn

Looks a completely different player from the one who struggled so much in the early months of the season. Lovely pass to help create the goal.

Rejuvenated 8

Boubacar Kamara

Played in Cash early on, generally had the run of the midfield before going off injured. Will be a significant loss if he misses an extended period.

Loss 7

Douglas Luiz

Kept things moving nicely in the middle but tellingly, he was less of a factor when Kamara had come off the pitch. Getting bolder in his passing.

Smooth 7

Jacob Ramsey

No shortage of effort from the midfielder but he was better off the ball than on it. A day when things just didn’t quite come off.

Busy 6

Emi Buendia

Not great but nowhere near bad and had Watkins hit the target we would have been talking about an excellent pass for the assist.

Unlucky 7

Ollie Watkins

For the first time in weeks he misread the script when he fired wide through on goal. Still, his movement helped force Andersen’s error for the goal.

Denied 6

Substitutes

Calum Chambers (for Kamara, 59) 6, Lucas Digne (for Moreno, 69) 7, Leon Bailey (for Ramsey, 69) 6, Jhon Duran (for Watkins, 85). Subs not used: Traore, Young, Sinisalo (gk), Olsen (gk).