Aston Villa’s hopes of a top ten finish in the Premier League were dealt a blow as Crystal Palace fought back to take a point at Villa Park.
The home side looked on course to take all three points when Ollie Watkins broke the deadlock with a smart finish after 69 minutes, turning home Lucas Digne’s pinpoint cross.
But Eagles substitute Jeffrey Schlupp was in the right place at the right time to tap home an equaliser with nine minutes remaining.
A hectic final few minutes saw Villa go close on three occasions as they tried and failed to force a winner.
The afternoon started with a magnificent tribute to the club’s 1982 European Cup winning side, with the whole stadium commemorating the 40th anniversary of the triumph as the heroes from that night in Rotterdam were given a guard of honour by the current Villa side, staff and owners.
And with a jubilant Villa Park firmly behind them, the hosts made all of the early running, with Danny Ings prodding wide at the near post before blazing a volley over the bar shortly after.
Patrick Vieira’s first season as Palace boss has seen a shift towards a more attacking style of play, and the likes of Conor Gallagher, Eberechi Eze and Wilfried Zaha offered fleeting glimpses of the threat posed by the visitors.
After 23 minutes, the latter worked space in the middle of the park before forcing Emi Martinez into his first save of the match with a fierce drive.
A hard-fought game was lacking in any clear-cut opportunities until a great chance was presented to Ings after 33 minutes.
John McGinn intercepted a pass and cut inside before clipping the ball behind the defence for Watkins. The England international controlled and spun before teeing up his strike partner on the edge of the box, watching on as Ings’ shot curled narrowly wide of the post.
Palace, who had only ever won once in the Premier League at Villa Park, came close to opening the scoring themselves when Nathaniel Clyne’s low drive required the fingertips of Martinez to turn it round the post.
At half-time, the anniversary celebrations continued when the team of ‘82 paraded the European Cup trophy around the ground during a lap of honour.
Upon the game’s resumption, Villa were dealt a blow almost immediately when Ezri Konsa limped off injured after a tangle of legs, with Calum Chambers replacing him.
Neither team were lacking in desire or determination, knowing that their hopes of a top ten finish would be boosted by the win, but both sides were struggling to fashion serious openings.
A spiky Zaha, riled by a couple of challenges on him, was going back and forth with the crowd, and the winger’s mood deteriorated when Watkins opened the scoring after 69 minutes.
Digne was given time and space to measure an inch-perfect cross to the back post, where Villa’s No11 expertly managed to find the bottom corner despite being wrestled by Marc Guehi.
Vieira responded by sending on former Villa favourite Christian Benteke, who received a warm welcome, Odsonne Edouard and Schlupp.
The changes paid dividends within three minutes when Schlupp tapped home from close range after Guehi headed Joachim Andersen’s cross into his path.
Andersen then produced heroics at the other end to prevent Villa retaking the lead, clearing Watkins’ goalbound header.
An end-to-end final ten minutes, including five minutes of stoppage time, ensued with Villa finishing the stronger after seeing Digne and McGinn test Jack Butland before Watkins slid a shot narrowly wide.
