Aston Villa 4 Everton 0 - Report

Two goals in each half saw Unai Emery’s team record their first win of the season and repair the damage to their goal difference suffered in the previous weekend’s 5-1 reverse at St James’s Park.

Captain John McGinn opened the scoring, with Douglas Luiz then doubling the advantage from the penalty spot after Jordan Pickford had brought down Ollie Watkins.

Leon Bailey made it three for Villa early in the second half, before Jhon Duran came off the bench to net his first Premier League goal.

Analysis

The 19-year-old had been on the pitch only seconds when he pounced on a poor throw-in from returning Villa hero Ashley Young before beating Pickford.

It capped an excellent performance, who continued their recent dominance over Everton. This was their fifth straight Premier League win against the Toffees and they are now nine unbeaten against the Merseyside club.

It would have been a perfect afternoon for Emery but for an injury suffered late by another substitute, Philippe Coutinho. The Brazilian had to be helped off by two members of Villa medical staff with five minutes remaining.

Otherwise, the day could hardly have gone better, with Emery able to give players including Moussa Diaby and Luiz an early rest ahead of Wednesday’s Europa Conference League play-off clash with Hibernian.

Everton, it must be noted, offered little and lost both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Alex Iwobi to injury during the match.

The natural reaction to a 5-1 defeat might normally be to make changes but Emery is currently limited on choice and a full debut for Pau Torres, in place of the stricken Tyrone Mings, was the only change to the line-up.

That proved a good move all round as Leon Bailey, much maligned and hooked a half-time at St James’s Park, enjoyed a fine match and contributed to both of Villa’s first two goals, before then netting himself.

A burst down the right wing had already set up a chance for Villa and Lucas Digne in the opening 30 seconds, the latter seeing his shot from a low Watkins cross deflected behind at the far post.

When Bailey then accepted a pass from Diaby on the right of the Everton box, he burst toward the byline before pulling back a cross which McGinn, arriving from the left, volleyed into the roof of the net for just his second Premier League goal since November, 2021.

Bailey’s next key involvement was with his head, stretching to nod a Matty Cash cross into the path of Watkins, who beat Jordan Pickford to the ball but was then taken down in a tangle of legs, with only swift reflexes seeing him avoid being struck in the face by the keeper’s fist.

Pickford was not booked for the foul but was for delaying the spot-kick which, when taken by Douglas Luiz, was struck low into the bottom corner to double the home side’s advantage.

Villa were rampant and Diaby would have been disappointed not to put Pickford to more serious exertion after Luiz laid a Bailey cross into his path. There was little wrong with his next effort, a first-time volley from Digne’s cross which Pickford brilliantly pushed onto the post, the ball flying across the face of goal and behind for a corner.

Everton’s afternoon got worse when Calvert-Lewin, back in the team after recovering from injury, was forced off with what appeared a nasty facial injury sustained in an early collision with Emi Martinez.

The visitors’ first real chance of the match then fell to his replacement, Arnaut Danjuma but Martinez proved equal to it, spreading himself to save at the near post.

Everton weren’t playing well but were having no luck either. Five minutes into the second half, Iwobi pulled up chasing a lost cause.

His replacement, Neal Maupay, had barely run on to the pitch before Villa extended their lead. Michael Keane’s attempt to snuff out danger only succeeded in sending the ball into the path of Bailey, who drive a low, right-footed finish between Pickford’s legs.

Watkins came close to adding a fourth when he lifted a shot over Pickford but just wide of the far post after being fed by Diaby, before Maupay served a reminder Everton weren’t quite dead yet with a volley which Martinez did superbly to save.

Emery was still confident to make changes and the fourth substitute introduced made an instant impact immediately after coming on with 16 minutes to go.

The Colombian pounced on Young’s short throw and rounded Keane before slotting the ball under Pickford.

It appeared to have capped a perfect day for the hosts, before Coutinho’s injury knocked off some of the gloss.

Key Moments

18 GOAL Moussa Diaby bursts forward, finds Leon Bailey on the right, who gets to the byline before turning the ball back for John McGinn to volley home.

24 GOAL Douglas Luiz converts from the spot to double Villa’s lead after Jordan Pickford brings down Ollie Watkins.

51 GOAL Bailey extends Villa’s lead, capitalising on a mistake by Michael Keane to fire a shot through Pickford’s legs.

75 GOAL Jhon Duran nets his first Villa goal, pouncing on Ashley Young’s short throw and slotting a finish under Pickford.

Team

Villa (4-4-2): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, McGinn, Luiz (Tielemans 64), Kamara, Bailey (Carlos 64), Diaby (Coutinho 64 (Archer, 85)), Watkins (Duran 74) Subs not used: Traore, Chambers, Marschall (gk), Olsen (gk).

Everton (4-5-1): Pickford, Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski ©, Young, Garner, Onana, Doucoure (Onyango 90+8), Gueye (Dobbin HT), Iwobi (Maupay 50), Calvert-Lewin (Danjuma 36) Subs not used: Mykolenko, Godfrey, Branthwaite, Cannon, Virginia (gk).