Player Ratings: Crystal Palace 3-1 Aston Villa - A Wilfried Zaha masterclass overcomes an identity-lacking Aston Villa at Selhurst Park.

Emiliano Martínez: 6/10

A frustrating day for the goalkeeper, whose team let him down in this game. Far too many shots were allowed on the Argentine’s goal, and with time, a few were bound to fly past him. On another day, Emi Martinez keeps a clean sheet, but this one’s on the ten outfield players in-front of him.

Matty Cash: 5/10

Matty Cash had arguably the hardest job out of anyone heading into this weekend, and the Polish international did struggle against the bamboozling Wilfried Zaha. Without the want for trying, the winger outwitted the full-back on many occasions. Cash did look as energetic as ever and did attempt to make a difference at the other end of the field throughout the game however.

Ezri Konsa: 4/10

This fixture was set to be a big one for Konsa, as Aston Villa’s number four had to fill the boots of the recently-injured Diego Carlos. Sadly, the 24 year-old had a torrid day in South-London up against the electric Wilf Zaha, and was run-ragged time and time again. A day to forget for the former-Brentford defender.

Tyrone Mings: 5/10

A reasonably faultless showing from Tyrone Mings, who mas making consecutive starts. The former captain will be thankful that he wasn’t on the right hand side of the defence up against the unplayable Zaha, but did a good job by all accounts battling Odsonne Édouard throughout the game.

Lucas Digne: 4/10

Another really underwhelming performance from the French full-back, who had a relatively dismal day up against Jordan Ayew down the Palace right. Whilst controversial, the number twenty-seven was ‘at fault’ for the penalty decision; an outcome which ultimately settled the result of the game.

Boubacar Kamara: 5/10

A quiet showing from the free-signing, who put himself about, but too very little effect. The likes of Jeffery Schlupp and Ebere Eze more than got the better of Villa’s number forty-four out there.

John McGinn: 5/10

A fixture that the number seven shone in last season, but John McGinn will quickly forget it this year. You can see the claret and blue captain attempted to rile up the fiery Wilfried Zaha, but this tactic somewhat backfired, and if anything made the winger even more threatening. A yellow card and second-half substitution summed the day up the Scot.

Jacob Ramsey: 5/10

An untidy day for Jacob Ramsey who failed to make his mark like he did last week against The Toffees. The Eagles’ midfield was rampant and energetic, and Jacob Ramsey simply could not match the levels shown by his midfield opponents. An inability to pick the ball up and move it forward was quite the contrast to what is typical of the 21 year-old’s usual display.

Leon Bailey: 6/10

Once again, this game seemed to be unfavourable for the Jamaican. The winger enjoys running at opposing full-backs and stretching teams on the counter - unfortunately this game at Selhurst Park meant Bailey could not do that. A well-taken header assisting Ollie Watkins and an unlucky effort around the 50 minute mark that saw the 25 year-old hit the crossbar, were the highlights of his game.

Emiliano Buendía: 5/10

On a day where many Aston Villa fans expected to see the little Argentine be at the centre of everything and create at every opportunity, Emi Buendía was one of the quietest on the field. The system may not have suited the number ten’s ideal game, but the 25 year-old was disappointing away from home.

Ollie Watkins: 6/10

After two assists at Villa Park last week, Ollie Watkins came into the third game of the season hungry for more. The number eleven bagged his first of the term after just five minutes, beating Vincente Guaita with a well-taken finish. The former-Brentford forward stretched the ever-evolving Palace defence throughout the 90 minutes, but was never really presented with another opportunity to score.

SUBSTITUTES:

Danny Ings (66 mins): 5/10

Despite scoring in last weekend’s victory over Everton, Danny Ings was dropped for this contest. Aston Villa’s number nine had a very short window of time to put his side back into the game, and was distinctly quiet in the 25 minutes he was on the field for.

Douglas Luiz (73 mins): N/A

The Brazilian must be feeling somewhat frustrated at the lack of game time given the underperformance of his midfield peers. Villa’s number six will be pushing for a start in next week’s fixture against West Ham United.

Philippe Coutinho (73 mins): 5/10

Dropped for the popular Emi Buendía, but his South-American counterpart had very little influence on the game. Villa’s Brazilian magician was another left with very little time to affect the game, especially with 20 minutes go. Should Coutinho have been subbed on sooner, or possibly have even started?

MAN OF THE MATCH: Emiliano Martínez

Usually a goalkeeper that concedes three goals over 90 minutes is considered to have a poor game, and would be the least likely contender for the ‘man of the match’ award. However, the Argentine shot-stopper produced a number of fine saves that stopped the game becoming a total embarrassment for the away side.

A first-half stop to deny former-Villan Jordan Ayew was particularly eye-catching, but another to prevent Odsonne Édouard early into the second showing was just as impressive.

Martinez did deny superstar Wilfried Zaha at the first opportunity, but the Ivorian talisman did put the penalty rebound home. Whilst he will be disappointed with the goals and the overall result, there was very little the number one could have done about things on the day.

Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images