Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is hoping for another winning run after his team bounced back from a defeat to leaders Arsenal with a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Villa's loss on Tuesday had ended their 11-match winning streak in all competitions. But they beat Forest for their 11th straight win at Villa Park, lifting the side to second in the league table.
Ollie Watkins netted his fourth goal in three games and John McGinn chipped in with a brace to secure victory.
Emery's side are one point above third-placed Manchester City, who host Chelsea on Sunday.
“This is a challenge, and to beat Palace is very difficult. We want to win lots of matches in a row, but it is difficult,” Emery said.
Emery praised his players who ensured that Villa have not dropped points at home since August.
“So good, these three points. We needed rest and work to get ready for this match. The players responded fantastically to the demands we set. We dominated with the possession, the positioning and we did it with our mentality to keep our momentum,” he added.
Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn told Sky Sports: “It was important. It was a poor result the other night. We wanted to show a reaction, maybe the start of another 11-game winning run we don't know.”
Meanwhile, Wolves, who had just three points from their first 19 games of the league, thrashed fellow strugglers West Ham 3-0.
The crowd at Molineux celebrated wildly as their side ended a winless streak of 23 league games since beating Leicester on April 26, with Jhon Arias, Hwang Hee-chan and 18-year-old Mateus Mane getting on the scoresheet.
“It was amazing, I feel like we worked hard every day to get this point, and got our first three points and a goal so I feel good,” Mane told Sky Sports.
“It's our first win, but we're not done yet, we want to get higher and higher. I've had friends and family watching here today which felt amazing,” he added.
Though they remain bottom of the table on six points, Wolves can take some relief from the fact that four of their six points have come in their last two games.
On the other hand, West Ham are 18th on 14 points with no clarity over whether they will survive in the Premier League.
Life after Maresca at Chelsea
Chelsea begin the new year with a clean slate when they visit Manchester City on Sunday.
Despite what has been a promising season from Chelsea while fielding the youngest average squad in the league, Italian manager Enzo Marseca was dismissed following a run of only two wins in nine matches across all competitions.
Maresca's dismissal was announced on New Year's Day. As the club search for a replacement, U21 manager Calum McFarlane has been named caretaker boss.
“I'm quite relaxed about it, to be honest,” McFarlane said. “I'm sure as we get closer to the game it will maybe be more nerve-racking. I'm just focused on coming in and preparing the team as best we can.
“I haven't worked at this level before, of course, but the lads today were brilliant, and it fills you with confidence we are all in it together and it's a team effort.”
