breaking news : 25% Aston Villa man was nowhere to be seen v C Palace, could face brutal PL axe

Aston Villa came from behind to win 3-1 against Crystal Palace, but it was Nicolo Zaniolo’s debut at Villa Park to forget.

Odsonne Edouard finished off some superb wing play from Jean-Philippe Mateta to give Crystal Palace the lead early in the second half, against the run of play, after Villa had dominated much of the game.

Jhon Duran struck a remarkable equalizer in the 87th minute before Douglas Luiz and Leon Bailey scored in stoppage time to seal out the victory and return the Villans to winning ways after their 3-0 setback to Liverpool before the international break.

With nine points from their first five games, Villa moves ahead of their opponents into seventh place.

Aston Villa’s first European journey begins on Thursday when they face Legia Warsaw in the Europa Conference League, for which he will have to make some critical selection decisions, especially with a trip to Stamford Bridge looming a few days later.

After his lackluster performance against Crystal Palace, summer signing Zaniolo could be on the verge of losing his starting spot entirely.

The Italian international became Villa’s fourth acquisition of the summer, on a season-long loan deal, as Unai Emery was looking for a replacement for the injured Emi Buendia, who is expected to be out for months.

Zaniolo was instantly touted as a target, with Villa’s transfer boss Monchi familiar with him having signing him for Roma in 2018.

The Italian international arrived at Villa Park to great hype and anticipation, but the lights went out quickly after what he delivered on Saturday. He did provide a big opportunity for Matty Cash before half-time, but the Pole blew it after slicing the shot in the area; otherwise, he was virtually non-existent.

According to SofaScore, at halftime, the former Roma man had won only two of his eight duels at a 25% rate, completed one of his four dribbles, lost possession of the ball 12 times, dribbled past once, and received an unnecessary yellow card for time wasting.

In his 57 minutes on the field, he won only four of his 12 total duels, barely touched the ball with only 37 touches and 14/18 out of successful passes, completed just one of his four dribbles at a 25% success rate, and lost possession of the ball 15 times [SofaScore].

Given that he has only recently signed on the dotted line at Villa Park, Zaniolo will need to adjust to life in the West Midlands.

But, with Emery keen for points and Aston Villa favourite Jacob Ramsey due to rejoin to play at Stamford Bridge, Zaniolo might face the axe.

In unrelated Aston Villa news, one player received a surprise “5/10” rating in a lifeless effort against Crystal Palace, according to player ratings.