Paddy McCarthy said Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson was on the mend after the former England boss missed his team’s defeat at Villa Park due to illness.

According to McCarthy, Hodgson felt ‘a bit unwell’ in the period between breakfast and Palace’s pre-match meal.

He said: ‘He is feeling better and we are hopeful he will continue to feel better and be back with us sooner rather than later. We had contact with him before the game and we will speak to him now after the game as well.

‘All the preparation was done with Roy. After breakfast and before the pre-match meal he felt a bit unwell, and that’s when we found out. We continued to prepare.’

The win made it 10 in a row in all competitions for Villa, who missed enough chances to make the game safe long before its conclusion.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson (pictured) was absent from the dugout for Saturday’s Premier League clash against Aston Villa at Villa Park

Paddy McCarthy (left) took charge of Palace at Villa Park in Hodgson’s absence

Unfortunately Roy Hodgson was taken unwell earlier today and is not at Villa Park.

Roy is in contact with Paddy McCarthy, who will take the team today assisted by Ray Lewington.

Roy sent his best wishes to the team ahead of the match.

We send our very best wishes to Roy… pic.twitter.com/QIh887zkTU

— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) September 16, 2023

In the end Palace were punished for their frequent attempts to run down the clock as referee Darren England added 17 minutes, with two of Villa’s goals coming in that period.

Manager Unai Emery said: ‘We were playing more with our hearts than with our minds in the last 20 minutes and sometimes you need that. At the end we deserved to win.

‘We want to be contenders in every competition but the Premier League is the most important one. We want to play every minute here and to enjoy it. We want to be competitive, to learn and build our team.

I am very happy because every player involved – those in the starting XI or on the bench – had a good impact on the game.’

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