Aston Villa’s winless start to the season continued as they suffered a 3-0 defeat at Villa Park against Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace on Monday night.
A worrying night for Villa, who could never get going and, despite seeing much of the ball, looked bereft of ideas.
Palace on the other hand performed excellently and were good value for the victory.
But the night was Marc Guehi’s, who played perhaps his final game in a Palace shirt and topped it off with a peach of an effort, taken first-time and curled into the far corner over the diving Marco Bizot in the Villa net.
Marc Guehi scored a beautiful curling effort into the top corner on what could prove to be his final game for the club
|REUTERS
It was Jean-Philippe Mateta who put the visitors in front, coolly slotting home from the spot after shotstopper Bizot tripped up Daichi Kamada, who displayed tidy footwork to get around the goalkeeper.
The incident was marked even more ironic due to Unai Emery’s bizarre pre-match interview. Goalkeeper Emi Martinez was not included in the squad amid strong speculation he could be leaving the club. When asked about the situation, Emery’s answer was rather simple: "Marco Bizot."
Marco Bizot tripped Daichi Kamada to give the visitors a penalty during the first half
|Reuters
Martinez is said to be advancing in talks with Manchester United, as they search for a new No1 with Andre Onana being booted from the squad.
Ismaila Sarr topped off a magnificent night for the Eagles, nodding home from close range after a long throw caused chaos in the Villa box.
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Ismaila Sarr capped off a brilliant night for the Eagles
|REUTERS
After the game, Emery cut a frustrated figure as he discussed his side’s need for additional signings.
"Yes, we need some players,” Emery admitted. “But now we have what we have, and we need to try to get more balance again, more than in the transfer window.
"You get balance with the players tomorrow after the transfer window, and after the break we have a lot of players with the national team, this is one of the developments we have had in the three years here, a lot of players with national team, and we are playing in Europe, sometimes to keep this level is not easy.
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"Of course we are frustrated when we are not able to have the level of performance but I am confident that we can find the balance and the structure in everything, and our mentality as well."
The Villa boss was then asked once more about the situation of goalkeeper Martinez, who was excluded from the squad.
"We have to fix it with him. Tomorrow the transfer window finishes and we are expecting something hopefully to improve the squad,” Emery answered, in a little more detail than before the game.
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Unai Emery said he is hoping to get more bodies in before the end of the transfer window tomorrow
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“But we keep calm. One of the situations we are speaking about is Emi Martinez but we will see tomorrow. Then we try to get the balance and try to work after the break and try again at Everton to recover our mentality."
Crystal Palace are facing their own transfer woes, with Guehi the subject of a £35million bid from Liverpool for their skipper.
The 25-year-old, who played and scored on the night, must be kept at all costs according to Palace boss Glasner.
Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner remained insistent that Marc Guehi wasn't going anywhere
|REUTERS
"Of course, I have mentioned it so often [wanting to keep Guehi]. We have to. Again, it is if we want a successful season. We have had a fantastic start,” the Austrian pleaded.
"We had a great start, so it is just the start. The first step is made and for a successful season we need Marc. It is not possible to find a replacement in one day.
"This is our captain. We have to keep him. I told this to the chairman [Steve Parish].
"I like Marc, he is such a professional player and such a nice guy. It is for the future of Crystal Palace. We have to keep him.
"We don't have the right replacement, so for me, it is clear that we keep him."
The transfer window shuts on Monday evening, meaning clubs with outstanding transfer sagas must be solved within the next 24 hours.