‘We were up for it’ – Palace boss Patrick Vieira’s assessment of victory over Aston Villa
Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira praised the quality and attitude his side showed to record a 3-1 win against Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa.
Villa took the lead in the fifth minute at Selhurst Park when Ollie Watkins was allowed to drift behind the Palace defence and he slotted the ball past Vicente Guaita from just inside the penalty area.
The Eagles swiftly found their way back into the game when Wilfried Zaha burst past the Villa backline, drove towards goal and slid a shot beyond the reach of Emiliano Martinez.
Zaha doubled Palace’s lead in the 58th minute when the Eagles were awarded a penalty following a Lucas Digne handball inside the area. Although Zaha missed the spot kick, he followed up the rebound and buried the shot past Martinez.
The three points were wrapped up for Patrick Vieira’s side in the 71st minute when Tyrick Mitchell delivered a tantalising ball into the box for Jean-Philippe Mateta to slide in and poke the ball into the back of the net.
Picture : Keith Gillard
“I’m really pleased – really delighted,” Vieira told BBC after the match following Palace’s first Premier League win of the 2022-23 season.
“We had a really good performance today. We went through difficult periods, but we remained calm and were really determined.
“At times, we played some really good football. Today, I am really pleased with the quality and attitude we showed today.
“Overall, we had a really good performance. We were up for it, and I was pleased with that.”
Eberechi Eze produced another assured performance for the Eagles, with the Greenwich-born attacker creating the most chances (three), the most successful dribbles (six) and the highest passing accuracy (92 per cent) of any player on the pitch.
“Ebs is getting better and better,” said Vieira.
Picture : Keith Gillard
“When the team plays like that, it allows him to show his quality.
“He loves the game – he is a football player who loves to have the ball at his feet. Today, it’s his best performance since he came back.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD
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