Mike Dean hits out at ‘stupid’ Munoz incident in Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Mike Dean was left baffled by a Daniel Munoz challenge as Crystal Palace secured a 4-1 victory against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
The Villans fell to a humiliating defeat at Selhurst Park with a first-half Morgan Rogers equaliser being cancelled out by the home side in the second half.
Robin Olsen came on during the interval and conceded three to cancel out any positivity after a comeback victory against Chelsea last time out.
It is safe to say there were plenty of controversial moments in Croydon with one challenge in particular catching the eye of former Premier League referee Dean.
Mike Dean slams Munoz challenge v Aston Villa
Despite Unai Emery’s side having the better of possession in the capital, it was the Eagles who created the better of the chances and took advantage of the travelling side’s weaknesses.
One of these was a change in tactical approach which saw three centre-backs start for the Villans as opposed to their usual four-at-the-back formation.
To switch to this system, Lamare Bogarde came into the side as a left-sided centre-half but and was on the end of a poor challenge from Munoz in the first half.
The 21-year-old went up for a header before the Colombian collided with him while getting nowhere near the ball and putting his opponent in danger.
This left ex-official Dean baffled on Sky Sports News (25 February, 8:41pm) as he said: “It’s one of those where the ball is in the air, as a defender you know you’re going to get hit. You either chicken out or you just take it and head it.
“He [Bogarde] headed it and got absolutely smashed so it’s a yellow card. It’s a stupid challenge to make, he doesn’t have to make it.”
Aston Villa have questions to answer after Crystal Palace defeat
There is little positive to take from the performance against the Eagles with the second half in particular being embarrassing for supporters to watch.
Jamie O’Hara described the showing as “a nightmare” and that is exactly the general feeling around B6 right now.
Considering the excitement surrounding the Villans after the win against Chelsea and the performance of Marcus Rashford, it was strange to change the setup to match up to a side that hasn’t won at home in 2025.
| Stat | Crystal Palace | Aston Villa |
| Expected goals | 4.31 | 0.38 |
| Touches in opposition penalty area | 29 | 20 |
| Shots | 19 | 6 |
| Tackles won | 21 | 4 |
This didn’t pay off and Emery’s side were ultimately walked over by Palace who found it easy to secure all three points.
Looking ahead to an FA Cup clash against Cardiff City, Villa have to win or there is going to be increasing levels of discontent from fans at Villa Park.