January 7 2026

Palace 0-0 Villa

Crystal Palace’s injury-hit side earned a hard-fought goalless draw against Aston Villa at Selhurst Park.

Brennan Johnson, making his Palace home debut, spurned chances either side of the interval, while Yeremy Pino tested Villa goalkeeper Marco Bizot with a smart effort after he replaced the injured Emiliano Martínez at half-time.

Villa forward Ollie Watkins threatened repeatedly in the first half, but Dean Henderson smothered one chance and Maxence Lacroix produced a vital block to keep the scores level.

Palace appeared content to conserve energy early on, before pushing forward with greater intent in the final half-hour. Jean-Philippe Mateta went agonisingly close to sliding home Johnson’s low cross, while Villa rallied late on through Watkins, who struck the woodwork, and Morgan Rogers, who fired over.

With Oliver Glasner’s stretched squad continuing to battle injuries, the hosts’ measured approach nearly paid dividends.

On another night, the promising link-up between Johnson, Pino and Mateta might have delivered a winner, but this time Palace had to settle for a point as they extended their winless Premier League run to six matches.

Palace: Henderson, Lacroix, Guehi, Canvot, Devenny (Sosa 90), Hughes, Wharton, Mitchell, Johnson, Pino, Mateta.

Not used: Benítez, Richards, King, Benamar, Rodney, Drakes-Thomas, Casey, Uche.

Villa: Martinez (Bizot 46), Cash, Konsa, Lindelof, Digne (Maatsen 73), Kamara (Bogarde 82), Tielemans, McGinn (Malen 73), Rogers, Sancho (Buendia, 65), Watkins.

Not used: Torres, Garcia, Jimoh-Aloba, Hemmings.