Jean-Philippe Mateta became the first man since Yannick Bolasie in April 2015 to score a Premier League hat-trick for the club – a first-ever home Premier League in Palace's history (and first in the top-flight since Mike Flanagan's in October 1980).
It was also Mateta's second hat-trick this season, after netting three times away at Plymouth Argyle back in August.
There were shades of a former Palace great, with the last final-day hat-trick Ian Wright’s treble against Birmingham in 1989. Mateta is now on seven consecutive top-flight home matches with a goal to his name – another Palace record.
Three goals took Mateta’s personal tally for the season to 19, the highest of any player since Palace were promoted back in 2013 – but he is just one cog in a lethal attacking set-up.
JP’s nine goals in his last six games have set tongues wagging, but Ebere Eze and Michael Olise have had a massive contribution.
Eze scored his 50th and 51st career goals against Villa, while Olise has 10 goals and eight assists in just 18 Premier League games this season, with the best minutes-per-goal-contribution of any Palace Premier League player on record.
This was also the first time in Palace's Premier League, and indeed top-flight, history that three players (Mateta 16, Eze 11 and Olise 10) scored have all scored 10 or more goals in the same season.