Aston Villa ended the season with a hammering, as Crystal Palace ran out 5-0 winners at Selhurst Park.
The result was uncharacteristic of a side who have shown such discipline since the arrival of Unai Emery as manager in late 2022, but perhaps owed to there being little riding on the game.
Given Aston Villa secured Champions League football earlier in the week, the performance against an in-form Palace side looked that of a team who spent the last few days celebrating.
The casual nature of Douglas Luiz‘ display summed up Villa’s collective approach in a game that would never have been easy even with Emery’s side at their best.
Former Villa player Gabby Agbonlahor was working on talkSPORT for the final day of the Premier League season and insisted that Emery will not stand for what he saw in the humbling defeat.
Gabby Abgonlahor thinks Unai Emery should rethink summer plans
When Palace’s fifth goal went in courtesy of Eberechi Eze’s second of the game, Agbonlahor commented that the Villa players were “at the beach club” in reference to the way they seemed to be on their holidays already.
He followed this up with a more serious comment, stating: “Emery will be disgusted with these players, with his standards.”
Whilst Villa fans will not want to read too much into the result given the heroics of their side this campaign, it does end the season on a slightly sour note.
The club’s record Premier League goalscorer, Agbonlahor, suggested the display was so bad it could lead to Emery rethinking his summer plans for his players, punishing them by bringing forward pre-season.
Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT: “Even though we have already got the fourth place, knowing Unai Emery with his standards, he will be disgusted at his players.
“He will be like, you know what, lads? You might have been coming back on July 1st, now you are coming back on June 20th.”
Crystal Palace defeat Aston Villa’s worst league loss in four years
Villa were terrorised by both Jean Mateta and Eze at Selhurst Park, with the former scoring a hat-trick and providing an assist and the latter bagging a brace and supplying an assist himself.
It is rare that Ollie Watkins is not the most potent striker on the pitch this season, but Mateta but on a real clinic whilst Watkins saw the opportunity to score his 20th league goal of the season go begging.
The loss to Palace is also significant as it was Villa’s worst in over four years in the top flight according to Transfermarkt.
The Villans had not lost a game by a five-goal margin since January 2020, when they were smashed 6-1 by Manchester City.
However, given the difference in stature of the sides, the hammering at Selhurst Park is arguably far more embarrassing.
Villa won’t care too much given they will be a Champions League club next season, but the performance and result will have left Emery with some food for thought over the summer.
The post 'He will be disgusted': Agbonlahor urges Emery to do one thing after what he saw from Aston Villa today appeared first on Aston Villa News.