Marc Guehi scored a stunning goal on the eve of deadline day as he put his transfer links to Liverpool to one side to help Crystal Palace to a 3-0 victory at Aston Villa, where alarm bells are ringing.
While Villa's No 1 Emi Martinez was absent amid speculation he could be on his way to Manchester United, Guehi captained Palace to their first win of the campaign with a standout performance.
There is an expectation Liverpool will make another move for Guehi before the window closes. If he does make the switch to Anfield, this was some way to sign off, curling a beautiful strike into the top corner in the second half.
Villa had been well off the pace in the first half and trailed when Martinez's replacement Marco Bizot brought down Daichi Kamada for Jean-Philippe Mateta to slot in a penalty. But Guehi's goal came against the run of play, just as Villa were putting on the pressure.
Ismaila Sarr's brave back-post header sealed it soon after, capping a positive week for Palace in which they also booked their league phase spot in the UEFA Conference League. But the issues are mounting up for Unai Emery.
As well as the Martinez situation, there will be concern that Villa haven't scored this season - and only looked a threat here when Emi Buendia, who could also be heading for the exit, came on at half-time to get them playing.
There were penalty shouts either side of half-time and Ollie Watkins forced Dean Henderson to save a shot with his face but this was a textbook away win from Palace, ending Villa's 19-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. The only downside for the visitors was an injury to Adam Wharton, which puts his England involvement in doubt.
However, there are bigger problems at Villa, where fans will hope a potential Martinez departure isn't the only piece of business the club does on deadline day.