Crystal Palace Defeats Aston Villa 2-1 in Cup

Crystal Palace secured a spot in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, thanks to a stunning second-half goal from Daichi Kamada, who replaced the injured Eberechi Eze. The match began with Eze heading Palace into an early lead, but Villa equalized through Jhon Duran before Kamada struck in the 64th minute after capitalizing on a defensive error. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery faced criticism for making ten changes from the previous match, a gamble that ultimately backfired as Villa's pursuit of their first trophy since 1996 continues. Despite the loss, the returns of Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara from ACL injuries were notable positives for Villa. The defeat marked the end of Villa's 11-match unbeaten streak across competitions, deepening scrutiny on their performance under Emery.