Photo Credit - Crystal Palace Football Club.
Senegal international Ismaila Sarr contributed with two goals as Crystal Palace thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 in a Premier League fixture to record their first Selhurst Park league win of 2025 on Wednesday.
The Lion of Teranga, who was celebrating his 27th birthday, got the Eagles off to a strong start in the first-half and, whilst the visiting side equalised through Morgan Rogers early in the second-half, that only pushed Palace to seize further control on a memorable night.
Sarr, who joined the Eagles from French Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, scored the opener in the 29th minute but Rogers capitalised on Palace’s poor defending to level matters in the 52nd minute.
While Villa thought the equaliser will spark a comeback win, Palace had other ideas as the goal stung them to life. Jean-Philippe Mateta powered home to put Palace 2-1 up in the 59th minute before Sarr made it a birthday to remember with his second goal, and Palace’s third.
Sarr guided home Daniel Munoz’s flashed cross – at a challenging height – with a brilliantly executed side-foot finish across the goal. Former Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah wrapped up the emphatic win in the stoppages when he turned home a low ball inside six-yard box, to register his first Premier League goal since joining the Eagles.
Sarr has appeared in every one of Palace’s 27 league games in the current campaign and has played 1,846 minutes, being selected in the starting XI in 20 of these and being used as a substitute on seven occasions.
The attacker has netted six league goals and opened his account for the Premier League campaign against Aston Villa on November 23, scoring during a 2-2 draw.
Up next for Palace in top-flight action is a home match against Ipswich Town on March 8.
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