Honestly, if you just looked at the 0-0 scoreline from the recent Aston Villa v Crystal Palace clash at Selhurst Park, you’d probably think it was a total snooze-fest. Most people do. They see two zeros, a handful of yellow cards, and they move on to the next highlight reel. But if you were actually watching—really watching—that Wednesday night in South London, you know there was a lot more bubbling under the surface than a simple bore draw.
It was Jan 7, 2026. The atmosphere was typical Selhurst: loud, cramped, and kind of aggressive.
Unai Emery’s side arrived in the capital looking like a team trying to find its soul again. They’ve had a weird season, haven't they? One minute they’re beating Chelsea at the Bridge, the next they’re getting thumped 4-1 by Arsenal. This match was a tactical chess game where both grandmasters were too scared to lose their Queen.
The Emi Martinez Scare
The biggest talking point—and the thing that probably changed the entire trajectory of Villa's winter—happened at halftime. Seeing Emiliano Martinez stay in the dressing room is never a good sign. The big Argentine, the literal heartbeat of that defense, went down with an injury that forced Marco Bizot into the spotlight for the second half.
You could feel the shift in the stadium. Palace fans sensed blood.
Oliver Glasner’s men started pressing higher, trying to test the cold hands of the substitute keeper. Brennan Johnson, who has been a livewire since his move, was basically living in the Villa box. He even got booked for a dive in the 67th minute—a bit of desperation, maybe? Or just a young player trying too hard to break the deadlock?
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Why Villa Couldn't Find the Net
Villa had the lion's share of the ball. 59% possession is a lot of time to spend doing... well, not much.
Morgan Rogers was the bright spark. He’s becoming that player you just can't take your eyes off, completing 25 passes and constantly looking to turn the corner. He had a massive chance in the 89th minute, a left-footed strike from about eight yards out that he absolutely blazed over the bar. You could see Unai Emery’s face on the touchline—he looked like he’d just seen a ghost.
Then there was Ollie Watkins.
In the 84th minute, Watkins rose like he always does, perfectly timed, and smacked a header against the right post. The sound of the ball hitting the woodwork in a quiet-ish stadium (for a split second) is haunting. If that goes in, the narrative is "Villa’s Resilience." Since it stayed out, the narrative is "Villa’s Blunt Edge."
The Glasner Wall
You've got to give credit to Crystal Palace. They were coming off a rough patch, including that shocker against Macclesfield in the FA Cup. Glasner has been under the thumb lately. There are even rumors floating around about him being a candidate for the Manchester United job if things go south there.
But against Villa, his 3-4-2-1 system was disciplined.
- Marc Guehi was a mountain. He’s being linked with City and United for a reason. He blocked everything.
- Adam Wharton controlled the tempo despite Palace having much less of the ball.
- Tyrick Mitchell put in a shift, though he did pick up a late yellow for a silly foul on Emi Buendia.
Basically, Palace played like a team that knew they couldn't out-football Villa, so they decided to out-work them. It worked.
The Tactical Shift Most People Missed
Earlier in the 2025/2026 season, Villa was getting criticized for being too rigid. Emery’s 4-2-3-1 was starting to look a bit "solved" by opposition managers. In this game, we saw a lot more fluidity.
Jadon Sancho and John McGinn were drifting constantly. They weren't just hugging the touchlines; they were trying to overload the central areas to bypass Palace’s wing-backs. But Palace stayed compact. They didn't bite. When Donyell Malen and Ian Maatsen came on in the 73rd minute, it was supposed to be the "finish them" move. Instead, it just led to more crosses into a box where Marc Guehi was waiting to head them away.
Looking Forward: What Happens Next?
This Aston Villa v Crystal Palace result keeps Villa in that awkward mid-table-to-European-contention limbo. They have the quality, but the consistency is just... gone? Sorta.
If you're a Villa fan, you're looking at the injury to Martinez with a lot of anxiety. Marco Bizot did fine, keeping the clean sheet, but he’s not the "Dibu" that strikers fear before they even step on the pitch.
For Palace, it’s a point that stops the bleeding. After the embarrassment of the Macclesfield defeat, a clean sheet against a team of Villa’s caliber is a massive "we’re still here" statement.
What you should do now:
- Keep a very close eye on the injury reports for Emiliano Martinez. If he's out for more than two weeks, Villa's defensive high line becomes a massive liability.
- Watch the transfer market for Marc Guehi. With the January window open, this performance probably added another £5 million to his price tag.
- Check the upcoming fixtures for both teams. Villa needs to turn these draws into wins if they want to see Champions League football again, while Palace just needs to stay clear of the scrap at the bottom.
It wasn't a classic for the neutrals, but for the tacticians, it was a masterclass in how to nullify a superior squad. Sometimes, the most interesting things in football happen when nobody is scoring.