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John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as Mings and Kamara impress in 2-1 Crystal Palace defeat
Aston Villa missed the opportunity to progress to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after losing 2-1 to Crystal Palace at Villa Park.
Eberechi Eze headed past Joe Gauci in the eighth minute to open the scoring, before Jhon Duran levelled for Villa 15 minutes later. Daichi Kamada then restored Palace's lead in the 64th minute as he punished Diego Carlos for giving away possession when trying to play out from the back.
The defeat ends Villa's 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions, which started with a win at Leicester City back in August. Despite being dumped out of the Carabao Cup, the big positive on the night for Villa was the returns of Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara.
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They both made their first starts since suffering ACL injuries last season and the latter played a key role in Villa's equaliser. Kamara won the ball back before lifting an inch-perfect pass to Leon Bailey on the right wing, who then found Duran in the box. The Colombia international's effort was too hot for Matt Turner to handle at the near post.
Kamara then put another excellent pass over the Palace defence, but Villa didn't capitalise this time - the Frenchman looked sharp. As did Mings, whose tackle on Jeffrey Schlupp in the 30th minute was celebrated like a goal at the Holte End after he tracked back and denied the Palace man's progress in the box.
Duran had a great chance to double his tally for the night and put Villa in the lead just before the hour mark. Ian Maatsen's strike deflected off two defenders before the ball fell for Duran, but the striker was slightly off balance and missed the target from only a few yards out.
Palace then scored their second of the night as Carlos gave the ball away cheaply in his own box, allowing Kamada to fire past Gauci.
Player ratings
Joe Gauci
The goalkeeper made only his second appearance for the club this evening and his first at Villa Park. He came out to clear the danger a few times, but his handling needs a bit of work. He let the ball slip from his grasp on a couple of occasions. This was only his second start for Villa so nobody should expect Gauci to be the finished article yet. 6
Kosta Nedeljkovic
Nedeljkovic wanted to get forward at every opportunity and become an option down the right flank. He is rapid! Sometimes it feels like he is moving so quickly that even he doesn't know his next move when he has the ball. He needed a little more composure in the final third. 7
Diego Carlos
Carlos' mistake was punished by Kamada as he tried to play the ball out from the back before the Japan international beat Gauci. 5
Tyrone Mings
After 445 days, Mings made his first start for Villa having overcome the ACL injury he suffered on the opening weekend of last season. He looked sharp and was certainly ready to return to action tonight. He tracked back well and was strong in his tackling. Considering the nature of his injury, this was a really promising performance from the big centre-back. 8
Ian Maatsen
Maatsen was an option all evening down the left. He brings tremendous energy from left-back, but his final ball was lacking tonight and a few of his set-piece deliveries were cleared at the near post. 6
Boubacar Kamara
Like Mings, Kamara also made his first start for Villa since recovering from his own ACL injury. He linked play well with his teammates and played a few one-twos to create space and progress possession. He played a crucial role in Villa's leveller as he won the ball back before playing it to Bailey so he could then assist Duran. Kamara was outstanding in the first half and continued to impress after the break. 8*
John McGinn
McGinn operated in the double pivot alongside Kamara this evening. He received the ball well with his back to goal as Villa played from the back. 7
Leon Bailey
The winger registered two efforts in the first 10 minutes and ought to have done better with his second chance. He ran onto Jaden Philogene's pass but fluffed his lines as his shot spun wide. He faded in and out of the game. 6
Jaden Philogene
Philogene operated from the left wing tonight, which is his preferred role, after he had been utilised in a variety of roles in his first few games since returning to the club. He had a chance to get a shot off in the box in the first half, but took an extra touch and then the chance went. 6
Emi Buendia
Buendia made his first start at Villa Park since the 2-1 win over Tottenham in May 2023. He was comfortable taking the ball in tight pockets of space and wriggled out of a few tricky situations with agility and vision. 6
Jhon Duran
Another game and another goal for Duran. His effort was too strong for Turner to stop at the near post. He made plenty of positive runs off the ball, but he didn't get the service he wanted. 7
SUBS
Lamare Bogarde (for McGinn, 78'): N/A
Jamal Jimoh-Aloba (for Buendia, 78'): N/A
Kadan Young (for Bailey, 78'): N/A
Subs not used: Zych, Cash, Patterson, Swinkels, Borland, Ramsey.
GOALS
Aston Villa: Duran (23')
Crystal Palace: Eze (8'), Kamada (64')
