Aston Villa boss Unai Emery named his son Lander on the bench for the final game of the season.
Villa fans were in a party mood but their players were seemingly already on the sunloungers as the Villans were hammered 5-0 away at in-form Crystal Palace on the final day of the season.
But the result didn’t affect their mood with Villa already confirming a top-four finish and a return to the Champions League for the first time since the competition was rebranded from the European Cup.
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Amid an injury crisis that saw first-choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez, alongside Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Matty Cash, Nicolo Zaniolo and Morgan Rogers all missing the trip due to injury, Lander, 21, was named on the bench that included teenagers Finley Munroe, Omari Kellyman and Kadan Young.
Martinez’s absence saw No.2 Robin Olsen start between the sticks in what very quickly became an afternoon to forget for the former Everton and Sheffield United stopper as he shipped five goals in just his fifth Premier League appearance of the season. While third choice keeper Joe Gauci was also among the subs.
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(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: PA)
Lander joined Villa in January on a free transfer after previously being on the books at Valencia, San Jose and Roda in Spain, but his record between the sticks leaves a lot to be desired with him shipping 15 goals in six Premier League 2 games, keeping one clean sheet.
While the job was already done for Villa in terms of their Champions League qualification, it was nonetheless an afternoon to forget for those players on the pitch as a Jean-Philippe Mateta hat-trick and a second-half double from Eberechi Eze saw Villa end their season the way they started it, by shipping five goals on the road, as they did against Newcastle United in August.