Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard admits defeat at Crystal Palace was a blow.
Gerrard watched his team make the perfect start at Selhurst Park when Ollie Watkins fired home his first of the season.
But the visiting Villans were left empty-handed following a brace from Wilfried Zaha, including a hotly debated penalty, and a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“It's a step backwards on the back of last week," he said.
“We started this game really well, got ourselves in front, scored a really good goal and it was the perfect start for us. We looked dangerous going forward but we didn't keep the lead for long enough.
“We allowed Crystal Palace back into the game. The game was in the balance for an hour and then there was a big, big decision that went against us with the penalty.
“We didn't react well enough to going 2-1 down. We were really unlucky that when the goalkeeper's made a fantastic save, they get the follow-up. I think the penalty's really harsh on us.
“For large parts of this game we were well in it at a tough place. The game's run away from us. In big moments we haven't defended well enough, and we've been punished."