It is just as well Aston Villa’s raucous travelling fans had already decided to treat this sun-drenched Sunday afternoon as little more than an opportunity to celebrate a historic season, because the thorough pasting their side received would otherwise have been impossible to stomach.
In bringing Europe’s premier competition to Villa Park next season for the first time since it was rebranded as the Champions League, Unai Emery has earned every plaudit that comes his way. But this swaggering Crystal Palace performance was a reminder that he was not the only magician in the Selhurst Park dugouts.
