Dean Smith was the last Aston Villa manager to lose five matches in a row and he was sacked for the failure. The situation was not as severe for Unai Emery but he needed to end a run of four straight defeats, although will be left wondering how his side did not beat Crystal Palace.

Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkley twice equalised for Aston Villa, who also saw a Youri Tielemans penalty saved, after being hit on the break by Palace, resulting in Ismaila Sarr and Justin Devenny giving them the lead. Villa were dominant from the start but lacked the cutting edge expected of a Champions League side.