ASTON VILLA kept alive their hopes of Premier League survival as Trezeguet struck twice to seal a desperately needed win over Crystal Palace.
After drop rivals Watford and West Ham both won 24 hours earlier nothing less then three points would be enough for Dean Smith’s side if they wanted to stay in the top flight.
And Egyptian winger Trezeguet, who has so often struggled to produce this season, decided this would be the day he turned up to be the hero with goals in each half enough to grab the victory.
Villa are still four points adrift of safety with three games remaining, but they are still in there fighting knowing the Hammers and Watford face each other next up.
Palace thought they had taken the lead just seven minutes of the game when Mamadou Sakho climbed to head home Luka Milivojevic.
But the goal was ruled out by VAR Jon Moss – the man who awarded the controversial penalty against Villa in midweek – who ruled Sakho had handled although the ball appeared to loop off the top of his shoulder.
Villa’s problem has not only been at the back, they also fail to score enough goals, and though they were so desperate for the win they rarely attacked with any quality early on.
Jack Grealish whipped in one cross from the left and found no-one bursting into the box, and another low ball in from the same area again went begging as Villa’s forwards.
VITAL SAVES
Wilfried Zaha struggled to get into the match in the opening quarter, then when he finally did on 27 minutes it was to get involved in a shoving match with Tyrone Mings which saw the pair both earn bookings for their troubles.
Then on 30 minutes Villa carved out their first genuine chance of the game, only for Mbwana Samatta to head a yard over from a good position to the howls of disappointment from the home dugout.
Seven minutes later it was the turn of Jack Grealish to go close as he met Ahmed El Mohamady’s cross first time on the volley, only for Vicente Guiata to turn the ball round the post diving low to his right.
Christian Benteke then forced Pepe Reina into two smart saves as Palace pushed forward, and the Spanish keeper again had to be sharp to beat away a fierce drive from Zaha.
Those saves proved vital, for in the first minute of stoppage time at the end of the half Villa took the lead – Trezeguet steering home at the far post after Palace had failed to deal with Hourihane’s free-kick from the left.
Villa thought they had the ideal opportunity to double their lead when ref Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot two minutes after the break when Grealish went down after a clash with Patrick van Aanholt.
But this time Moss was not so helpful to Dean Smith’s side, deciding replays showed Grealish had actually stood on the foot of the Palace defender.
The home side continued to d most of the pressing in the second half and Grealish was unlucky to see his free-kick saved by Guaita – but on 59 minutes the second goal they so desperately needed came.
Sakho missed his attempt to intercept a ball on the edge of the box, allowing Trezeguet in to poke his shot through the legs of Guaita into the back of the net.
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