Sarr's birthday turn too much for Villa as Eagles finally show their better side at Selhurst
Crystal Palace (1) 4 Sarr 29, 72, Mateta 60, Nketiah 91
Aston Villa (0) 1 Rogers 52
Birthday boy Ismaila Sarr celebrated his 27th with a double that set the Eagles on their way to a crushing win that recalled the thrilling final months of last season when structure and potency dovetailed to perfection.
Palace have had way more fun on the road than at Selhurst for most of the campaign - this, incredibly, was only their third league win in front of home fans - but the Senegal striker made it the happiest evenings for the Holmesdale Road faithful.
It is no coincidence that this run of form has coincided with the return of Adam Wharton, whose calm and measured passing gave Palace the rhythms they could fully exploit.
By the time Eddie Nketiah turned in a Tyrick Mitchell cross to make it 4-1, Oliver Glasner's men were full of swagger and looking way more like a Champions League last-16 side than their well-beaten opponents.
The Eagles were anonymous for half an hour but came to life after an Eberechi Eze shimmy had thrown the Villa rearguard and Sarr almost got a decisive head to it.
From the recycled ball, Wharton whipped in a cross that Chris Richards' downward header forced Emi Martinez to turn aside but straight into the path of the lurking Sarr for his sixth of the season.
Eze and Sarr were now alive and when the England midfielder slipped the ball inside it needed Martinez's sharp reflexes to keep out a first-time shot from the Palace goalscorer.
The momentum threatened to be stopped in its tracks when Ollie Watkins scampered down the left channel and crossed for an unmarked Morgan Rogers to turn past Dean Henderson. But a VAR check ruled it out for offside.
Villa lost Martinez to injury at half-time but levelled when a long punt upfield from sub keeper Robin Olsen was headed on by Watkins to Rogers, who was able to turn Richards too easily and slip the ball past Henderson.
But the lead was restored soon after, with Mateta picking up the pieces to slam home after a ball in from Wharton to Eze had run loose under a challenge from a Villa defender. It was the striker's 20th of the campaign in all competitions.
And then it was the turn of Sarr to crown a great evening by steering in a ball from Daniel Munoz - the slick Wharton again involved in the build-up.
Mitchell might have punished an increasingly ragged Villa with a fourth - missing when picked out with oceans of green grass in front of him and only Olsen standing in his way. But he made up for a wild miss by setting up Nketiah's goal.
Not even the arrival of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio could shape the game to the visitors' satisfaction. They flattered to deceive.
Eagles: (3-4-2-1) Henderson - Richards, Lacroix, Guehi - Munoz, Hughes (Lerma 58), Wharton (Kamada 78), Mitchell - Sarr (Nketiah 87), Eze - Mateta
Villa: (4-2-3-1) Martinez (Olsen h/t) - Garcia Bailey h/t), Konsa, Disasi, Digne (Maatsen 78) - Bogarde, Tielemans - Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey (Asensio 68) - Watkins (Rashford 58)
Attendance: 24,712
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