Aston Villa did not give an option to a Crystal Palace that did not know how to take advantage of its numerical superiority to forget the defeat that Liverpool inflicted on it last day. The villains thrashed Roy Hodgson's team (3-0) despite playing the second half with one less player and still at the top of the table on a profitable Boxing Day.
The ball had barely started to roll that Crystal Palace had already knocked on Emiliano Martínez's door. Zaha took advantage of a misunderstanding in the Aston Villa defense to step on the area and try his luck against the Argentine goalkeeper, who managed to repel his shot.
He had forgiven Palace and shortly after regretted when the 'lions' took the lead in the 5' with a goal from Bernard Traoré. Guaita had provided a providential hand to Watkins's shot, but the rebound fell at the feet of the African, who scored his second goal of the season at his pleasure.
Everything was going smoothly for Villa, who dominated the game and the scoreboard. However, two isolated plays changed the scene. The duel between Zaha and Mings fired sparks and the referee did not hesitate to caution both after engaging in a foul by the English central defender.
Almost at the next play, the defender committed a new foul on the African, leaving his team with one less footballer throughout the second half.
Palace had a good chance to put the villains on the spot in the second act, but Dean Smith's men not only held up the London offenses well, but also extended their lead on the scoreboard by taking advantage of a set piece.
Watkins finished off the crossbar and Hause caught the rebound to make it 2-0.
Later, the trio formed by Grealish, Watkins and El Ghazi would close the win for a Villa that knocks again at the doors of Europe.