John Townley's Aston Villa player ratings as 4s and 5s awarded after FA Cup semi-final exit

Aston Villa’s hopes of lifting the FA Cup this season were dashed by Crystal Palace after losing 3-0 at Wembley in the semi-finals.

The first big chance of the contest fell to Morgan Rogers in the 25th minute after a cross from the left by Lucas Digne, but the forward dragged his effort wide of the far post.

Jean-Philippe Mateta was denied an opener having fouled Ezri Konsa on his route to goal, but Eberechi Eze ensured Palace broke the deadlock by firing past Emi Martinez from distance in the 31st minute.

Konsa came close to equalising shortly after Villa fell behind, but Dean Henderson got down well to keep out his header.

Palace finished the half on top, and Tyrick Mitchell was presented with a golden chance to double their lead. Ismaïla Sarr rolled the ball across the box for the left-back to convert, but he fluffed his lines from close range - a huge let-off for Villa.

Unai Emery’s side forced Henderson into action twice early in the second half, as he denied John McGinn and then Digne’s effort from distance.

Villa should have capitalised on Mateta’s missed penalty - awarded after Kamara fouled Eze in the box - but instead, Palace doubled their lead shortly after the striker fired wide from the spot.

Youri Tielemans lost the ball too easily in midfield, allowing Sarr to race forward and fire past Martinez from range.

The winger then doubled his tally for the night late on to end the scoring.

Sarr has now been involved in six goals in three starts against Villa this season. Across his six career starts against them in all competitions, he has either scored (seven goals) or assisted (two goals) in each match.

Player ratings

Emi Martinez

Martinez was twice beaten from range by Eze and Sarr. He guessed the direction of Mateta’s penalty, but the striker missed the target regardless. 5

Matty Cash

Cash had the difficult task of containing Eze. The Palace forward is a supreme talent, and once again, Villa were reminded of that today. 5

Ezri Konsa

Mateta is a handful for any defender and is capable of dropping deep to link play. At the other end, Konsa had a good chance to equalise not long after Eze’s opener. 5

Pau Torres

Torres was preferred by Emery ahead of Tyrone Mings. The Spaniard gave the ball away in the lead-up to Palace’s opening goal, as his clearance was closed down by Sarr. 4

Lucas Digne

The left-back created the first big chance of the match, whipping in a cross from wide. He was denied by Henderson just after the restart with a spectacular effort that was bending towards the far post. 6

Boubacar Kamara

Kamara fired the first shot of the game over the bar in the 13th minute, but he’s not in the team for his attacking contribution - quite the opposite. While he plays a key role defensively, he was booked in the first half and gave away a penalty in the second. 5

Youri Tielemans

Tielemans tried to get Villa going in possession, but the team looked flat. He lost the ball for both of Sarr's goals. 4

Morgan Rogers

His pace and power troubled Mitchell at times, with the left-back booked in the first half for a cynical foul. Rogers missed the game’s first clear chance, slashing wide from close range. 5

Marco Asensio

Asensio dropped deep to collect the ball in the first half but had a limited impact on the match. 5

John McGinn

McGinn played off the left and combined well in the final third, often cutting inside to allow Digne space out wide. He delivered a brilliant cross late in the first half, which Konsa just missed. Early in the second half, he forced a smart save from Henderson. 6*

Ollie Watkins

Watkins led the line - we’ll never know if Marcus Rashford would’ve started instead, as the Man United loanee was sidelined through injury. Watkins ran the channels well and held up the ball high up the pitch. He was more effective in the first half than the second. 4

SUBS

Leon Bailey (for McGinn, 59'): The winger made his first appearance since before the international break. He had a chance in the 66th minute when the ball fell to him at the far post, but he could only hit a crowd of bodies. 4

Ian Maaatsen (for Digne, 59'): Maatsen injected energy and was a problem for Palace once he supported the attack. 6

Ross Barkley (for Kamara, 69'): Got a foot on the ball and tried to make things happen. 5

Jacob Ramsey (for Asensio, 69'): Villa looked beaten when he came into the game. 5

Donyell Malen (for Rogers, 79'): Played with confidence off the bench. 6

Subs not used: Olsen, Mings, Garcia, Onana.

GOALS

Crystal Palace: Eze (31'), Sarr (58', 90+4')

Aston Villa: N/A

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