Follow live coverage as Aston Villa face Crystal Palace today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.
The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool will be chasing Pep Guardiola's side, but just as fascinating will be the race for Champions League places, with more teams than ever before having designs on top-four finishes. Chelsea remain big-spending, Manchester United's latest rebuild continues and both Tottenham and Newcastle will expect improvements this year - yet it was Aston Villa who snared fourth last term.
Meanwhile, it's Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town who made it back to the elite after promotion last year and each will have hope they can make it more than a one-year stay. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:
Aston Villa FC 2 - 2 Crystal Palace FC
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:38Ramsey gets his head on Tielemans' corner, but nods it just over the bar.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:37Watkins gets into space and creates a space to have a shot. Chalobah gets in the way and Villa get a corner.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:35Substitution Justin Devenny Jeffrey Schlupp
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:35Watkins breaks in but stutters, allowing Lacroix to get back and throw him off. Palace get away with one here, as it was a dangerous chance.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:30Substitution John McGinn Jhon Jader Durán Palacio
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:30Substitution Ian Ethan Maatsen Lucas Digne
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:30Devenny's free-kick is blocked by Tielemans and out for a Crystal Palace corner.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:28Palace go on the counter as Sarr is taken down by Maatsen, as the play continues. Munoz could not get his cross on target though.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:28Yellow Card Ian Ethan Maatsen
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:25Substitution Cheick Oumar Doucouré Jefferson Andrés Lerma Solís
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:25Henderson punches the ball out of the box, but lands awkwardly, and stays down. The Palace physio comes out to check on their keeper.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:24Maatsen does well to keep the ball in play, but his cross is easily cut out by Lacroix.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:21The game's first yellow card goes to Diego Carlos for a foul on Mateta.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:20Lacroix makes an incredible lunge to stop Cash from getting a shot off. That was key from the Palace centre-back, as not only did he stop a potentially dangerous chance, but he made sure not to give up what would have been a second penalty.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:17Villa have had 78% of possession in the second half as they try to get another equalizer. They have shown a moment or two of promise, but so far, nothing yet from the home side.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:14Mateta attemps a diving header, but Martinez is there and easily saves the attempt. It was a straightforward save for the Argentinian, who did take two attempts to grab it.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:13Villa get two shots off on the corner. Maatsen hits it into the crowd, but atkins follows up, but it is blocked and goes out for another Villa corner. The hosts are turning it on now.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:12Bailey plays a really dangerous ball in that flashes across the six-yard box and just needed a touch. Yet, it misses everyone, and Palace survive a decent scare.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:09We are underway with the second half from Villa Park. Can Villa turn this around, or will Palace be able to hold onto their lead?
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
16:07There is a change going into the second half, as Cash comes on for Bogarde as Villa chase the game.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:56Villa have already had to come from behind once, and if they are to do it again, they will have to continue creating the chances like they did closer to the half-time interval. They have had the lion's share of the possession, and just have to keep going. Palace have looked dangerous on the counter, but outside of that, they visitors have not done much. The game is far from over, and it will be interesting to see how Villa recover from that dramatic end to the first period.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:55What a dramatic way to end what has been an entertaining first half at Villa Park. Palace went in front inside five minutes from a well-worked goal. While Villa did get into the game, they struggled to really create some chances. They did get their equalizer though, courtesy of Watkins. The stoppage time period, however, was dramatic, as Tielemans had his spot kick saved by Henderson, only for Palace to go down the other way and score through Devenny. The xG reads 1.99 to 0.86 in Villa's favour, but it is 2-1 to Palace at the break.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:53HALF-TIME: ASTON VILLA 1-2 CRYSTAL PALACE
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:51What a turn of events at Villa Park, as we go from a Tielemans save to a Devenny goal in the space of a minute. The things football can do.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:47Assist Ismaïla Sarr
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:46Penalty Save Dean Bradley Henderson
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:46Penalty Miss Youri Marion A. Tielemans
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:45PENALTY TO ASTON VILLA. Hughes is indeed adjudged to have fouled Bailey in the box and now Villa have a chance to take the lead.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:44The VAR is taking look at a potential penalty as Hughes stepped on Bailey in the box.The referee is going to the monitor to have a look.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:42Bailey has a crack from the right-hand side, but his effort smashes off the crossbar and stays out. Henderson is completely beaten, and if that shot was on target, Villa would have been in front.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:40Rogers tries to find Watkins and set him free again, but Lacroix is there to stop the attack.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:39GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLL ASTON VILLA, the hosts have levelled the score. McGinn slips in Watkins, who rounds Henderson and makes no mistake in putting the ball in the back of the net. It is 1-1, and a well-finished goal from the English international.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:38Assist John McGinn
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:37Mitchell tries to slip in Devenny, but Bogarde does a good job to sheppard the ball out for a Villa goal-kick.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:35Sarr breaks in again, being unselfish in passing to Mateta. However, the Frenchman kicks it over the bar. Fortunately for both, the flag went up for offside, partially sparing their blushes.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:31Doucoure has gone down, with the Palace physios coming on to check on the midfielder. He does get up, and is able to walk off the pitch without any major issues. He should be able to continue.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:31Munoz picks out Mitchell, who initially miskicks, but the ball goes back to him, and he puts it over the bar.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:30Villa go on the counter after Bailey steals it. It is a very good pass from the winger to play in Watkins. The striker cuts in and has a hit, which Henderson gets down to deny him. Much better from Villa, showing some signs of fight.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:28Despite having 70% of the possession so far, Villa have no shots on target 26 minutes in. That is a big problem at this stage for the Villans, who have yet to test Henderson.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:25Hughes brings Rogers down, with the referee giving a free-kick. Hughes receives a talking-to from the match official, warning him to cut it out. It is a chance for Villa via a free-kick.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:22McGinn gets a cross out, but once again, Henderson is able to come out and gather as the ball was close enough for the Palace keeper to grab it.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:21Villa are definitely carrying the game as expected. They are starting to create a bit more, but the final ball is lacking from the wingers, which is definitely a hindrance. If they can start getting some more accurate crosses, the opportunities will come.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:19Mateta dispossesses Tielemans, allowing Hughes to mount a counter. He picks out Mateta, but his shot is gathered by Martinez. A great chance for Palace to double their advantage.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:17Munoz tries to get around Maatsen and get a cross away, but the Colombian puts a bit too much into his dribble, with the ball going out for a Villa goal-kick.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:15Watkins gets his head on a lovely ball into the box, but could not keep his header down. It was a more than decent opportunity for the Villa striker to draw his side level.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:13Devenny plays a cross into the box, but Martinez is there to easily gather. It was not a good cross from the Palace man, who needed to place it farther away from the keeper.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:12Some good build-up play allows for Bailey to pick out Rogers, who completely mistimes his hit. The ball goes out of play for a Crystal Palace goal-kick.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:11Villa have carried the possession since the goal, and have gotten into the game. The one thing missing now from them are some chances, as they have yet to test Henderson in the Palace goal.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:08The ball is played to Bailey, but after going on a run, he is stopped quite easily by Mitchell, who steps in and dispossesses the Jamaican.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:05Goal Ismaïla Sarr
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:05Both sides are feeling each other out in the opening few minutes of this one, exchanging moments of possession.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:02We are off at Villa Park. Will the hosts get back to winning ways, or will Palace grab a second league win of the campaign. We should be in for a great 90 minutes.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
15:01The players and officials are walking to midfield for the usual pre-game pleasantries. That means we are just moments away from kick off. Sit back and enjoy this one folks, as Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will kick off in just a moment.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:58This is the second time in just under a month that Aston Villa and Crystal Palace square off, having also done so in the EFL Cup at the end of October. The match, also held at Villa Park, ended 2-1 in the visitors' favour, with Eberechi Eze, who is currently out injured, and Kamada scoring the goals. A Duran goal was not enough for Villa, whose losing streak commenced with that result. As for their Premier League meetings last season, both sides won their respective home games; 3-1 for Villa, and 5-0 for Palace. This has strangely been the case in five of the last six Premier League seasons in which the sides faced each other, where the home side came out on top. The last time the away team grabbed a result was in the 2021/22 campaign, where Villa prevailed 2-1 away, while the reverse fixture finished 1-1.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:53For Palace, they have made two changes from the Fulham defeat, both related to suspensions. Hughes returns from a one-match ban for yellow card accumulation, while Daichi Kamada sits this one out due to his red card 12 days ago. Clyne drops to the bench, with Doucoure coming into the starting lineup. There are quite a few tactical alterations in this Palace side, with Glasner opting to move some players around in hopes of turning around what has been a weak start to the campaign.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:48With the recent reversal of fortune, Emery has decided to shake things up with his Villa side, making four changes from their last match, though most of them are injury-related. Notably, that includes changes in both of the full-back spots, as Maatsen and Bogarde come in for Digne and Ezri Konsa, the latter having picked up an injury. Amadou Onana, who also started last time out, is injured, with Barkley coming in to partner Tielemans in the midfield. Club captain McGinn returns to the starting 11, replacing the injured Jacob Ramsey.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:37SUBS: Joel Ward, Jefferson Lerma, Jeffrey Schlupp, Nathaniel Clyne, Chris Richards, Matt Turner, Remi Matthews, Caleb Kporha, Asher Agbinone
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:37CRYSTAL PALACE (3-4-2-1): Dean Henderson; Marc Guehi, Maxence Lacroix, Trevoh Chalobah; Tyrick Mitchell, Cheick Doucoure, Will Hughes, Daniel Munoz; Justin Devenny, Ismaïla Sarr; Jean-Philippe Mateta
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:32SUBS: Matty Cash, Tyrone Mings, Jhon Duran, Emiliano Buendia, Lucas Digne, Jaden Philogene, Kosta Nedeljkovic, Robin Olsen, Ben Broggio
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:32ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez; Ian Maatsen, Pau Torres, Diego Carlos, Lamare Bogarde; Youri Tielemans, Ross Barkley; Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers, John McGinn; Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:32Villa have seen a slide in form of late, having lost their last four in all competitions, going winless in five. That includes a 2-0 reverse to Liverpool before the international break, in what was their most recent game. Unai Emery's men sit ninth in the league, but are just one point outside of the top four going into kick-off. For Palace, their last match was a 2-0 defeat at home to Fulham in a London Derby. They sit 18th, having won just once in the league all term. Thus, the pressure is already on Oliver Glasner and his side to start picking up some wins to avoid being in serious conversation with regards to relegation.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
14:30Hello to one and all, and welcome to this live text commentary for the Premier League match at Villa Park between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. I will be providing you this live text commentary for what will be a clash between the high-flying Villa, and the struggling Palace. We are about 40 minutes away from kick-off, but I will provide some pre-game information leading up until the first kick.
Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace
13:00Follow all the goals and latest action from the Premier League here with The Independent. Team news and line-ups coming up shortly…
