Bakary Sako was one of the less heralded arrivals at Selhurst Park during the summer and it would have stayed that way had misfortune not struck Yannick Bolasie in the build up to the game when the Palace winger left the squad having been informed that his father had died suddenly.
In stepped Sako for his debut and his emphatic winner three minutes from the end shows that he will be difficult to shift, particularly when you consider he scored 15 goals for Wolves in the Championship last season. Palace’s exciting young players often struggle in that department. Sako was thankful for some shoddy Villa play that led to the winner; Jordan Amavi making a huge blunder which Scott Dann seized on to tee up Sako. Dann, the Palace centre half, also opened the scoring only for Villa to equalise through a Pape Souare own goal in what was a frantic last 20 minutes.
“It was strange there wasn’t more clubs looking for him during the summer and he announced himself today,” Alan Pardew said of Sako, who arrived on a free transfer. “Yala [Bolasie] was going to start for sure. He was in a great place, bless his heart. Then he got the terrible news about his father. That win was for him and his family.”
For Tim Sherwood, there was little sign that this season will be any less of a struggle than the last. “Coming to a place like this can be very hostile,” Sherwood said. “I thought my players did very well especially in the first period. We obviously have to see out the game better.”
Sherwood gave Rudy Gestede his first start since moving in the summer from Blackburn Rovers. The precocious 19-year-old Jack Grealish was back in the team for the first time having recovered from a hamstring strain.
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Grealish was Villa’s main threat in the first half with his trickery. He played a sweet threaded ball through to Gabriel Agbonlahor, whose reliance on his right foot meant he made a complete mess of his run through on goal. The Villa forward was also presented with another great opportunity with a pass from Ashley Westwood. Agbonlahor managed to show the Palace defence a clean pair of heels but shot weakly with his right foot when again he might have used his left to greater effect.
Late in the half Grealish took matters into his own hands, when he received the ball from Idrissa Gueye, bamboozled Joel Ward with a little shimmy and unleashed a fierce left-footed shot from an acute angle that Alex McCarthy did well to tip over the bar. Palace appeared to have slightly more of the possession in the first half but were a blunt instrument, rarely threatening Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. It wasn’t a huge surprise when Pardew hauled off Wilfried Zaha and Glenn Murray and put a fresh double act up front in Dwight Gayle and Jordon Mutch.
Palace thought they had taken the lead when Gayle’s shot flew past Guzan on the hour mark. Palace celebrated and the MC played the victory music of Glad All Over, but it was clear from the Villa reaction that all was not right. After consulting with his assistant, referee Kevin Stroud established that the ball had deflected off James McArthur who was in an offside position.
There was no disputing Dann’s goal 10 minutes later, when he outjumped Ciaran Clark from Jason Puncheon’s corner kick and produced a strong header past Guzan. Villa, who had been on the back foot for most of the second half, then introduced another of their new signings, Adama Traore, down the right.On 76 minutes Traore sprinted past Puncheon and his cross struck Souare and flew past McCarthy. Four minutes from the end, Villa shot themselves in the foot. Traore was baying for Guzan to punt the ball upfield so he could again try to catch Palace on the break. Instead, Guzan rolled the ball out to Amavi who appeared a less than willing recipient. The left-back made a poor effort to skip past Dann, who was still in an advanced position and seized on the unexpected opportunity that came his way. He made a purposeful run into the Villa penalty area and then coolly picked out Sako, who did the rest, finishing with a low shot. “What you’ve seen there is what you get with young players,” rued Sherwood. “You see Traore come on and light it up for a period of time with no fear and then on the flip side you see a young boy and an outstanding player in Jordan Amavi who probably makes the wrong decision at the wrong time to take on someone that late in the game in a very dangerous area.”
Star man: Scott Dann (Crystal Palace)
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Crystal Palace: McCarthy 6, Ward 6, Delaney 7, Souare 6, Sako 7, McArthur 6, Cabaye 6, Puncheon 6, Murray 5 (Mutch h-t, 6) Zaha 5 (Gayle h-t, 6)
Aston Villa: Guzan 5, Bacuna 5, Richards 7, Clark 6, Arnavi 5, Sanchez 6 (Traore 68min, 7), Westwood 6, Gueye 5, Grealish 6, Agbonlahor 5, Gestede 5