Palace had finished last season by thrashing Villa 5-0, a sixth victory in their last seven games, and Glasner was being heralded across the south of London. But the abject start to this campaign had soon reversed that until this past few days.

The return of Tyrone Mings to the starting line-up after his 445-day absence from first-team action provided Villa with a fillip even before the game kicked off. Within half an hour, however, notwithstanding the teams trading a goal apiece, it was withdrawals through injury that was most ailing Palace.

To lose one England midfielder to injury early in a Carabao Cup tie can appear a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Glasner must have envisaged this as an opportunity to build confidence but as first Eze and then Wharton took to the turf, without a Villa player in their vicinity, it seemed as if Palace were being dealt a cruel return for their ambition.

Clubs get mullered for fielding weaker teams in the cups but this was a case when Palace fans might have forgiven their manager for saving his star men for the Premier League. When your luck is down, it seems, sometimes you just can’t win. Wharton has been playing with a groin injury and now that surgery may need to be expedited.

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Eze had headed Palace into the lead in the eighth minute as a much-changed Villa back line stood back and allowed him the freedom of the Holte End penalty area to head in Daniel Muñoz’s cross from the right. The ball had ricocheted out to the right wing-back when Mings, returning after suffering ACL and meniscus knee damage on the opening day of last season, inadvertently headed out Wharton’s intended ball up the channel.

Mings’ every touch had been cheered to the rafters before that on a night when Boubacar Kamara also returned for his first start after eight months out with an ACL injury. With Emiliano Buendía, a scorer in the previous round at Wycombe, also starting, this was a night when Villa’s strength in depth was on display.

Among those convinced they can earn more Premier League minutes, Durán followed up goals on his previous starts against Wycombe and Bologna with his eighth of the season midway through the half.

Leon Bailey’s pull-back may have been meant for his captain, John McGinn, but Durán stretched to reach the ball with his first touch and then dragged his shot into the corner of the net, debutant Matt Turner getting a weak hand to the ball.

Even if this competition is their fourth priority this season, Villa started to take the upper hand and this would have been reflected in the scoreline had Durán turned a rebound in after a shot from Ian Maatsen, scampering forward unimpeded, was parried by Turner shortly after half-time.

Mings was keen to make the most of his return. Having cut out two dangerous low left-wing crosses, he turned on Jaden Philogene angrily when the young winger offered Palace too much space.

Then he berated Joe Gauci after the deputising goalkeeper, on his second start after his move from Adelaide United in February, failed to prevent Daichi Kamada’s shot giving Palace the lead midway through the half.

It was the Japanese midfielder’s second goal for the club after his move from Lazio in the summer, a vehement low finish from the edge of the penalty area after Diego Carlos had played a loose ball after a goalkick out of McGinn’s reach. But there was no questioning the power and accuracy of the finish, even if Mings was frustrated.