Aston Villa 3 Crystal Palace 0

Last updated : 03 December 2003 By Footymad Previewer

Villa completely dominated their First Division opposition for the first 40 minutes, exposing the tremendous void which exists between the respective divisions, but again struggled to hit some much needed goalscoring form.

They often toyed with Palace and the only surprise was that it took Villa 21 minutes before they took the lead.

Even then it was an own goal which plunged Palace into arrears.

Juan Pablo Angel attempted a speculative long-range effort which was deflected off the head of acting Palace player-manager, Kit Symons, and past his wrong-footed goalkeeper, Cedric Berthelin.

Thomas Hitzlsperger smashed a powerful shot against the post a minute later as Palace were in danger of being over-run.

But the Londoners commendably kept at their task and should have equalised six minutes before the interval when Tommy Black had an amazing miss from a yard out when he shot over the bar.

Danny Butterfield produced a right-wing cross which was flicked on by Michael Hughes for Dougie Freedman to head down to the far post where Thomas Sorensen pushed the ball to Black to slam his close-range effort high and wide.

Black's 'punishment' was to be substituted after the break by the tenacious Wayne Routledge who immediately gave Palace a fresh impetus.

Villa finally put the game to bed in the 70th minute when Gavin McCann scored his first goal for the Midlands club since his close season move from Sunderland.

J Lloyd Samuel's left-wing cross was headed back by Angel to enable the onrushing McCann to head home from five yards.

Angel capped a fine individual display with Villa's third goal in the 79th minute when he guided Hitzlsperger's cross past Berthelin.