Aston Villa 1, Crystal Palace 0: Hennessey error gifts Villa first top-flight win since opening day
A calamitous error from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey consigned Crystal Palace to their first Premier League away defeat since October and gifted Aston Villa their first win since the opening game of the season.
Hennessey allowed centre-half Joleon Lescott’s header from a corner to squirm from his grasp and tamely trickle over the line as Remi Garde earned his first three points as Villa boss.
Former Manchester United forward Wilfried Zaha struck a post inside the opening minute, although Palace have now failed to score in four successive top-flight matches for the first time since February 1998.
The Eagles stay seventh in the league table, five points behind Tottenham in fourth place, while Villa’s first league win in 20 attempts moved them to 11 points, eight adrift of safety.