Roy Hodgson ‘feeling better’ after missing Crystal Palace defeat at Aston Villa

Posted Sunday, September 17, 2023 by PA

Crystal Palace first-team coach Paddy McCarthy said Roy Hodgson is feeling better after the manager was forced to miss his side’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa.

The 76-year-old was taken ill on Saturday morning and did not travel to Villa Park, but looked like he was going to receive the perfect tonic as his side led through Odsonne Edouard’s early second-half goal.

However, Jhon Duran levelled for Villa in the 87th minute and then added-time goals from Douglas Luiz, a penalty that survived a rigorous pitchside check by referee Darren England, and Leon Bailey saw Villa take all three points in the Premier League clash.

Despite the late heartache, Hodgson is on the mend.

McCarthy, who took charge along with coach Ray Lewington, said: “He is feeling better, so we are hopeful that he can continue to feel better and be back with us sooner rather than later.

“All the preparations were done with Roy. It was early, sort of between breakfast and the pre-match meal that he felt unwell, that is when we found out about it. We just continued as we had prepared.

“Before the game we had contact and then there was a lot of stuff going on. It was before the game we had contact and we will obviously speak to him after the game.”

There was over four minutes between referee England awarding a penalty for a foul by Chris Richards on Ollie Watkins and standing by his decision after being invited to check it by the VAR.

England decided that a foul had taken place before the Palace defender won the ball.

However, McCarthy says such a delay suggests it was not a foul.

“To concede a goal in the 87th minute and then to concede a goal in controversial circumstances later on is disappointing,” he said.

“If it takes five minutes to make a decision that tells you everything you need to know. People in the studio have asked him to go and have a look. Whatever he has seen on the monitor has not changed his mind.”

Aston Villa equalled a post-war record of nine successive home league wins with their late turnaround, which was reward for an industrious performance.

Boss Unai Emery said his side won because they used their hearts.

“Today was a very different match, this is the 10th in a row we have won, nine in the Premier League and against Hibernian in the Conference League,” he said.

“But it was completely different. We want to play like we played in the first half, but scoring goals because we deserved to score.

“We weren’t playing the second half like I want but sometimes we have to use our heart and use our passions. We needed the referee giving us the minutes that he added and created chances in the second half when playing a different way.

“I enjoyed it. It is difficult after we conceded the goal, they had one or two chances to score. But sometimes in my experience I know we have to take the decision of playing with the heart and more emotion than normal and today was like that.”