14 September 2024
Aston Villa 3 Everton 2
Unai Emery’s side entertained The Toffees at Villa Park, with the visitors still looking for their first points of the season. They came so close to beating Bournemouth last time out until they folded like the world origami champion, conceding three late goals to take defeat from the jaws of victory.
This was not the perfect fixture for Sean Dyche’s side to bounce back as they had failed to win against Aston Villa in their last ten fixtures. Questions are starting to be asked as to whether Everton may be kicking off their first game in their new stadium against Championship opposition.
The hosts started positively, with McGinn involved in the heart of the action. It was his deflected shot that forced the first corner of the game. As the cross was drifted into the box Watkins met it with a header but his effort was blocked on the line by Ndiaye.
Summer signing Onana, who left the visitors to join the Villa Park ranks, was robbed of the ball in the middle of the park. McNeil ran forward with it before getting a shot off from the edge of the box. While the connection seemed scuffed, it beat Martinez and nestled into the bottom corner of the goal.
It was their first shot on target in the game and sent the travelling fans into delirium. Everton grew in confidence from this point and the pressure they put the hosts under forced a free kick in a wide position. It gave McNeil the chance to put a dangerous ball into the Villa penalty area.
As his inswinging cross came in, Calvert-Lewin rose to meet it with his head, as he glanced the ball into the bottom corner of the goal. The Toffees were giving Unai Emery’s side a harsh lesson in making your chances count as they stunned the home faithful with two goals in eleven minutes.
Everton fans must have thought that this would be the day that they would witness their team finally kick-start their Premier League season. Even the most pessimistic among them would never have though that lightning would strike twice in as many games. Surely they had learnt from that painful experience last time out.
Just as they must have been planning on discussing their clinical approach to the first half over a pint in the interval, Aston Villa started to put their defence under pressure. Former Everton full-back Digne got down the left and clipped a cross in from the byline towards the back post. Watkins rose to beat Keane to the ball and head home to put some doubt in the visitors’ minds.
No words of wisdom from Sean Dyche at half-time could change the mindset of the visitors in the second-half. Emery’s side continued to apply the pressure and Rogers was slotted in, with only Pickford to beat. As he looked to drill his shot into the far corner, the England keeper made a good block with his legs.
Ramsey reacted quickest to the rebound but his effort was blocked by the sliding challenge from Garner. Aston Villa were so close to grabbing an early equaliser. Everton looked shaky at the back and you felt their best form of defence to was to try and score more goals.
Then came the moment they were dreaming of. The ball was slotted through into the path of Calvert-Lewin, with the entire Aston Villa side assuming that he was offside. The striker walked through on goal with only Martinez to beat. As he dwelled on the chance, Konsa managed to get back and take the ball off him at a pivotal moment.
Despite scoring in the first-half, all too often The Toffees’ striker looks devoid of any confidence in front of goal. If he were to be the next in line to attempt a Trump assassination, you could rest assured that the wotsit-looking republican candidate would still be around for the presidential run-in.
The visitors then became the architects of their own downfall. As a hopeful ball was lofted forward by Tielemans, Harrison tried to cut it out but just knocked it into the path of Watkins. He made no mistake as he slotted it past Pickford to draw the sides level with his second of the game.
Aston Villa were brimming with confidence by this stage and Rogers broke into the box. With Watkins unmarked in the middle, he squared it for what seemed certain would be the Aston Villa striker’s hat-trick. As he slid in, he just could not get a telling touch to turn the cross towards goal and showed his frustrations.
The home fans must have wondered if this was just going to be one of those days. Maatsen got away down the left and spotted an unmarked Watkins and picked him out perfectly with the cut-back. The Aston Villa striker scuffed his shot wide of the target and held his head in his hands in disbelief.
Barkley then laid the ball off to Duran in the middle of the park. He shifted the ball onto his left foot and struck a sublime shot with the outside of his boot. With tiny-armed Pickford scrambling through the air, he had more chance of saving Augustus Gloop than he did this effort.
Villa Park was rocking as it seemed that Emery’s side had completely turned this game around to take all three points with under fifteen minutes remaining. Everton on the other hand were starting to get used to this sinking feeling after throwing away another two-goal lead.
The game was wide open and McNeil threaded a ball through to Calvert-Lewin once again. As he held off the defender to get his shot away, it came back off the crossbar and into play. The hosts held on for the win and it was another depressing trip back home for the downtrodden Everton fans.
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