Aston Villa missed the chance to close in on Arsenal as Crystal Palace held them to a 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park. Palace, struggling with injuries, have now gone six league games without a win and remain winless at home since early November.
Villa started strong, chasing their 10th win in 11 matches, with Ollie Watkins making clever runs behind the Palace defence. But Dean Henderson made key saves, and Maxence Lacroix blocked a potential goal, keeping the game scoreless.
Palace grew more threatening in the second half. Brennan Johnson missed chances on his home debut, and Yeremy Pino tested Villa’s replacement goalkeeper Marco Bizot. Late in the game, Jean-Philippe Mateta came close from a low cross, while Watkins hit the post and Morgan Rogers fired over, leaving both sides with a point.
