Daichi Kamada’s decisive goal secured a significant Carabao Cup victory for Crystal Palace over Aston Villa, sending them through to the quarter-finals.
Substitute Kamada capitalized on a misplaced pass from Diego Carlos, drilling a powerful low shot from the edge of the area to restore Palace’s lead in the 64th minute.
Eberechi Eze initially put Palace ahead, leaping to head in Daniel Munoz’s right-wing cross.
Villa equalized when Leon Bailey found Jhon Duran, who fired into the bottom corner, despite debutant Palace goalkeeper Matt Turner getting a hand to it.
Kamada’s winner means Palace advance to the competition’s quarter-finals for the first time since the 2011-12 season and will face Arsenal in mid-December.
However, the victory was bittersweet for Oliver Glasner’s side, with concerns over the fitness of key players Eze and Adam Wharton, both of whom left the pitch with injuries in the first half.
After replacing Eze, Kamada continued to threaten, nearly scoring again when he dragged a shot just wide and later struck a free-kick into the wall before sending the rebound over the bar.
Despite Villa’s dominance, with 62% possession and nine shots on target, Palace held firm.
Turner made a crucial save, denying Duran’s attempt at the top corner early in the second half, as Kamada’s goal ultimately proved the game-winner, marking back-to-back wins for Palace this season.