It finishes all square at Villa Park, with Aston Villa relying on luck at times to get a draw against their London opponents.
While Palace had slightly more shots on target, they were caught off guard by Watkins’ opening until substitute Schlupp recovered a point for the visitors, which was well deserved given their lively approach.
Both teams displayed why they are in the Premier League’s middle tier.
In a close game, a lack of composure in the last third kept the score from rising higher.
Starting lineup:
ASTON VILLA (4-3-1-2): Emiliano Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne; Marvelous Nakamba, John McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Philippe Coutinho; Ollie Watkins, Danny Ings.
SUBS: Robin Olsen, Ashley Young, Emiliano Buendia, Jacob Ramsey, Bertrand Traore, Calum Chambers, Tim Iroegbunam, Carney Chukwuemeka, Morgan Sanson.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Jack Butland; Nathaniel Clyne, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi, Tyrick Mitchell; Luka Milivojevic, Cheikhou Kouyate; Eberechi Eze, Conor Gallagher, Wilfried Zaha; Jean-Philippe Mateta.
SUBS: Vicente Guaita, Jordan Ayew, Odsonne Edouard, Jesuran Rak-Sakyi, Jeffrey Schlupp, Will Hughes, Joel Ward, Martin Kelly, Christian Benteke.
Goals:
VILLA LEAD! Watkins shows excellent strength against the run of play to put the home side ahead – holding off Guehi’s strong challenge to divert the ball past Butland, following Digne’s deep cross from the left. With 20 minutes remaining, it’s Villa 1-0 Palace.
PALACE PULL LEVEL! Gallagher drifts a free-kick in from the left towards the penalty spot, and though it is initially headed clear, Palace recycles the ball. Andersen crosses for centre-back partner Guehi to nod the ball down, and Schlupp is then on hand to strike from close range. The Eagles have drawn it back to 1-1.
So, what’s next?
Villa next meets Burnley before finishing their season away to champions-elect Manchester City. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace takes on Everton and Manchester United in their final two fixtures of a promising campaign.
