Aston Villa 0-3 Crystal Palace: Guehi nets stunner amid Liverpool transfer talk
Marc Guehi put the noise of a rumoured transfer to Liverpool to one side as he helped Crystal Palace to a fine win over Aston Villa.
Marc Guehi's second-half stunner led Crystal Palace to their first win of the Premier League season after they comfortably beat a struggling Aston Villa 3-0 on Sunday.
Guehi picked out the top-right corner in the 68th minute with a brilliant curling finish on what could be his last outing for Palace, amid rumours of a switch to Liverpool.
But Oliver Glasner's side silenced the background noise in style, taking the lead through Jean-Philippe Mateta's 21st-minute penalty after Marco Bizot tripped Daichi Kamada.
And with their first real attempt, Villa almost got themselves level just before half-time, but Ollie Watkins' effort was thwarted at point-blank range by Dean Henderson.
Unai Emery's side improved in the final third after the break, but they were unable to find a way through, and they were hit with a sucker punch on the break by Guehi's strike.
It got even better for Palace late on, with Jefferson Lerma's long throw-in flicked on by Maxence Lacroix for Ismaila Sarr to nod home at the back post to seal all three points.
The result sees Palace stay unbeaten in 2025-26 after their first three games, moving up to eighth in the early-season standings. Villa, meanwhile, are down in 19th on one point.
Data Debrief: Guehi leads by example for perfect Palace
Many feared that speculation surrounding Guehi's future at Selhurst Park may have unsettled Palace before facing Villa, but the England international led from the front in an impressive away day display.
Palace were more than worthy of their win, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 2.67 from their six attempts compared to Villa's 1.13 from their 13 shots, further highlighting their supremacy in the final third.
Indeed, six of Guehi's seven Premier League goals have now come away from home, whilst his strike here was his first in the competition to come eight or more yards away from the goal.
The result saw Palace extend their unbeaten run across all competitions to 14 matches (W6 D8) – their longest ever stretch as a top-flight team in club history – while also ending Villa's 19-match unbeaten streak on home soil.
