MINGS & MERCILESS

10-men Villa punish Roy's pitiful Palace side

- John Wragg

WHAT’S worse? Getting thrashed 7-0 at home in your previous game or being outplayed and well beaten by 10 men?

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson has got problems as his team continue to slide – and have Leicester to come tomorrow.

“We have to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask what have we done wrong?” said Hodgson.

“The mistakes we have made, we have to make certain that we try and prevent them happening again.”

Aston Villa were dominant even though they were a man short for half the game.

They were only one up – it should have been more – when one of the pillars of their team, Tyrone Mings, was dismissed for two bookable offences in four minutes.

“ I thought both yellows were soft, pathetic to be honest,” said Villa boss Dean Smith, whose side are unbeaten in four games.

“The first yellow card, Mings got attacked by Wilfried Zaha and got booked for it.

“The second, it looks as if Mings has got fouled by Zaha before the booking.”

But Smith still celebrated his 100th game in charge – and all it was missing was for his star man Ollie Watkins to get a goal.

He was involved in all three, headed against the bar and hit the post.