Analysis: Late show proves Aston Villa have plenty in reserve

From looking increasingly destined to fall to a defeat the like of which can rankle for weeks, if not months, Villa’s players instead left the pitch amid a mood of euphoria, their third win of the campaign leaving them nicely placed in the top half of the Premier League table.

A 10th consecutive home win in all competitions might not have played out quite how Unai Emery planned it but sometimes, as the Villa boss later hinted, you must simply embrace the chaos.

Most significantly, at the start of a month which poses the first serious test of his squad’s strength in depth, the manner of this victory was a big early tick. The three players Emery brought off the bench in the second half all contributed to the comeback, Duran and Bailey most obviously with their goals, while Youri Tielemans was involved in the build-up to the two stoppage time strikes which wrestled the points away from Crystal Palace.

It was Tielemans who, with the match back level at 1-1, picked out the run of Ollie Watkins which led to the striker tumbling under the challenge of defender Chris Richards.

Referee Darren England’s decision to first award a penalty and then stick with his call after a five minute VAR review was always destined to dominate a chunk of the post-match discourse, yet it was Duran who deserved the headlines thanks to the excellence and timing of his equaliser, just at the point his team looked to be losing all belief.

When Villa moved to sign the 19-year-old from in January, the deal with Chicago Fire struck with haste in order to fend off interest from other Premier League suitors, there was a suggestion his first full season at the club might be spent somewhere else on loan to help build experience and remove some of the rough edges from his game.

Saturday provided conclusive proof Duran is ready to contribute now. This was his third goal in as many matches at Villa Park but by some distance the most important. No matter home many more he goes on to score, it will still rank among his very best. Moussa Diaby aside, there may not be another player in Villa’s squad capable of conjuring such a goal from nothing.

Duran’s rapid maturation has eased concerns over a lack of cover or competition for Watkins. The latter remains Villa’s main man up front but is yet to score in the league and may feel just a little more pressure, having failed to convert a golden chance in the early stages which would likely have made it a far more straightforward afternoon.

Typically and to his credit, Watkins kept plugging away and was unfortunate to see another effort rebound off the post and wide off the back of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, before then making the run on to Tielemans’ stoppage time pass. With Bailey having joined Duran in scored in all three home fixtures this season and Douglas Luiz netting his second of the campaign from the penalty spot, they are hardly a team short on firepower.

Villa’s quality in reserve ultimately proved the difference against a Palace team who had chances to extend the lead provided by Odsonne Edouard’s goal a minute into the second half but found Emi Martinez in strong form. Twice the goalkeeper denied Eberechi Eze at close range.

There remains plenty for Emery to work on, most particularly in defence where Pau Torres is still adapting to the physicality of the Premier League. The £31million summer signing was beaten too easily by Jean-Philippe Mateta in the build-up to Palace’s goal and had other uncertain moments.

Any criticism, however, must consider the fact his learning curve has been made much steeper by the loss of Tyrone Mings. It was also Torres who threw himself in the way of an Edouard shot as the striker threatened to net a second and while there may have been occasions when he appeared to be wavering, he did not wilt.

Neither did Villa. When Edouard scored, it was the first time since February they had trailed on home turf. This was the first time they had come back to win from a losing position since last November's 2-1 victory at Brighton.

The late show sparked by Duran ensured the positives outweighed the negatives. There had also been plenty to admire about a first half performance when Villa were a team with everything but the finish. It wouldn’t have needed much for Saturday’s story to be about Nicolo Zaniolo, impressive on his first start. Diaby, meanwhile, thought he had had opened the scoring thanks to a fine piece of skill, only for VAR to determine him a fraction offside.

Matty Cash was guilty of squandering opportunities which would have made Villa’s afternoon far easier but in the end probably nowhere near so much fun.