As reports began to circulate that Oliver Glasner had until the upcoming international break to secure his position, which he had initially held so impressively just eight months prior, Crystal Palace managed to win back-to-back games. Whether this victory proves to be a Pyrrhic one, especially given the night's injuries to Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton, remains to be seen. However, Daichi Kamada's goal midway through the second half allowed Palace to reach the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup for only the second time in 21 years.

Eze had initially given a strong-looking Palace team the lead before Jhon Durán equalized for Aston Villa. Despite losing two of their key players to first-half injuries, Glasner's team rallied, following up their first Premier League victory of the season on Sunday with this triumph. They will now head back to the West Midlands for a bottom-four clash with Wolves on Saturday, buoyed by their recent successes.

Palace had concluded last season by thrashing Villa 5-0, marking their sixth victory in the last seven games, and Glasner was being celebrated across south London. However, the dismal start to this campaign quickly reversed that momentum until these past few days.

The return of Tyrone Mings to the starting lineup after a 445-day absence from first-team action provided Villa with a boost even before the game commenced. Within half an hour, however, it was the injuries, rather than the goals, that most affected Palace. Losing one England midfielder to injury early in a Carabao Cup tie might seem unfortunate; losing two appears careless. Glasner must have seen this as an opportunity to build confidence, but as Eze and then Wharton went down, without any Villa player near them, it seemed Palace were being harshly punished for their ambition.

Clubs often face criticism for fielding weaker teams in cup competitions, but this was a case where Palace fans might have forgiven their manager for saving his star players for the Premier League. When luck is against you, it sometimes feels like you just can't win. Wharton had been playing with a groin injury, and now surgery might need to be expedited.

Eze had headed Palace into the lead in the eighth minute as a much-changed Villa back line stood back, allowing him the freedom of the Holte End penalty area to head in Daniel Muñoz's cross from the right. The ball had ricocheted out to the right wing-back when Mings, returning after suffering ACL and meniscus knee damage on the opening day of last season, inadvertently headed out Wharton's intended ball up the channel.

Mings' every touch had been cheered to the rafters before that on a night when Boubacar Kamara also returned for his first start after eight months out with an ACL injury. With Emiliano Buendía, a scorer in the previous round at Wycombe, also starting, this was a night when Villa's depth was on display.

Among those convinced they can earn more Premier League minutes, Durán followed up goals on his previous starts against Wycombe and Bologna with his eighth of the season midway through the half. Leon Bailey's pull-back may have been meant for his captain, John McGinn, but Durán stretched to reach the ball with his first touch and then dragged his shot into the corner of the net, debutant Matt Turner getting a weak hand to the ball.

Even if this competition is their fourth priority this season, Villa started to take the upper hand, and this would have been reflected in the scoreline had Durán turned a rebound in after a shot from Ian Maatsen, scampering forward unimpeded, was parried by Turner shortly after half-time. Mings was keen to make the most of his return. Having cut out two dangerous low left-wing crosses, he turned on Jaden Philogene angrily when the young winger offered Palace too much space.

Then he berated Joe Gauci after the deputising goalkeeper, on his second start after his move from Adelaide United in February, failed to prevent Daichi Kamada's shot giving Palace the lead midway through the half. It was the Japanese midfielder's second goal for the club after his move from Lazio in the summer, a vehement low finish from the edge of the penalty area after Diego Carlos had played a loose ball after a goalkick out of McGinn's reach. But there was no questioning the power and accuracy of the finish, even if Mings was frustrated.

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