Match Report

Everton let slip another two-goal lead and slumped to a fourth successive defeat to start the season, with Jhon Duran stepping off the bench for Aston Villa to plunge in the dagger with a stunning winner.

The Blues were on course for a first Premier League victory at Villa Park in 8½ years when goals by Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin put them 2-0 up inside half an hour.

However, their glaring defensive frailties, exacerbated by the loss of Vitalii Mykolenko in the first half, and suspect game-management were cruelly exposed for a second successive match as Ollie Watkins wiped out their previous advantage and Duran grabbed the headlines with a "worldie" from distance.

Meanwhile Calvert-Lewin wasted a pair of gilt-edged chances to earn his team something from the contest.

Having overseen the capitulation against Bournemouth before the international break, Sean Dyche was charged with lifting his players and instilling some resolve into their make-up but their passive approach in the early stages of this match did not hint at the drama to come.

He was forced to make one change, bringing veteran Ashley Young into the starting XI because of injury to Seamus Coleman, but watched his charges allow Villa to dominate the first quarter of an hour and almost go behind as a result.

Iliman Ndiaye had to block Ollie Watkins's goal-bound header on the line following a corner and when, in a sign of things to come, Lucas Digne stole in behind Young and Jack Harrison down Everton's right, the England striker could only guide a prodded effort wide.

Much of the pre-match narrative had surrounded the reunions of various players with their former clubs, mostly notably Amadou Onana's first game against the Blues but it was the Belgian midfielder who was robbed by McNeil as Everton plundered the lead completely against the of play.

McNeil muscled Onana off the ball before advancing into the penalty area and screwing a low shot past Emiliano Martinez and inside the far post in the 16th minute.

11 minutes later, the visitors seized a shock 2-0 lead against the newly-minted Champions League Villans after Harrison was fouled near the touchline and Calvert-Lewin nodded McNeil's pin-point free-kick beyond the goalkeeper.

James Garner had come on in place of Mykolenko with Young switching to left-back and the substitute was rurthlessly punished for being caught too narrow by Digne eight minutes before the end of the regualtion 45.

The Frenchman chipped a cross searching out Watkins who easily out-jumped Michael Keane at the back post to head home and make it 2-1 at the halfway stage.

The hosts continued their dominance of possession coming out of the interval and came close to erasing Everton's lead within five minutes. Morgan Rogers popped up in space in the box but was foiled brilliantly by Jordan Pickford and Garner got a crucial block on the follow-up by Jacob Ramsey.

The match hit a turning point in the 54th minute, though, when Calvert-Lewin was sent clear into a one-on-one duel with Martinez but dallied as he tried to take it around the Argentine and Ezri Konsa got back to steal the ball off the striker's toe and put it behind.

Calvert-Lewin was away again, three minutes later, this time down the left channel but, sloppily, passed straight to a claret shirt and within a minute it was 2-2.

Once again, the ball was played towards the Villa left by Youri Teilemans looking for Digne stealing in behind Harrison who stuck out a foot to try and stop the cross, only to divert it into the path of Watkins who simply steered it past Pickford.

Watkins might have had a hat-trick soon afterwards as John McGinn dissected Everton's defence with a pass and Rogers squared it looking for the striker but it eluded him by a foot as he slid in.

Belatedly, perhaps, Dyche went to a back five, bringing Jake O'Brien and Orel Managa on for their debuts and withdrawing Harrison and Idrissa Gueye but the pattern continued, with Ian Maatsen the latest Villa player to enjoy space down their left and cross. Watkins somehow missed the target this time but Duran had the decisive say shortly afterwards.

Picking up the ball 30 yards from goal, the danger initally seemed minimal before the substitute unloaded a wickedly-swerving shot that bent into the top corner with Pickford well beaten.

Still, Calvert-Lewin might have rescued a point when he did the hard part by collecting another nice through-ball, and bustling past the last man but with just Martinez to beat he smashed his shot off the crossbar.

Like their conquerers from a fortnight ago, the Cherries, Everton now boast the unwanted Premier League record of having given up 2-0 leads in successive matches and they remain rooted to the foot of the table having lost their first four to start a campaign for the first time in 66 years.

Afterwards, Dyche bemoaned the fact that his team was falling on the wrong side of the margins but the manager faces a crucial run of winnable fixtures to try and put some points on the board.

Lyndon Lloyd

Matchday Updates

Everton achieved the impossible, squandering another 2-goal lead they had built up to shock Aston Villa, only to progressively collapse, with huge opportunities to win the game squandered by Calvert-Lewin.

It's been noticed that Sean Dyche's teams don't make good starts to the season, and this time is no different, with three losses and no points on the board, the manager taking heat for not playing his new arrivals who are deemed "not Premier League ready", and for his deeply ingrained predilection for not using enough substitutions early enough to influence games. 

Dyche's choices continue to be compromised by injuries, with Seamus Coleman added to the list thanks to his efforts for Ireland last week, where he joins Branthwaite, Patterson and Chermiti, with no word at all about Dele Alli, who was supposed to benefit from arranged match time behind closed doors during the International break.  

Dyche goes somewhat predictably with not one Ashely Young at right-back, with Garner and Dixon on the bench. Magala, O'Brien and Lindstrøm are presumably still not Premier League ready. 

For the home side, former Everton stars Lucas Digne and Amadou Onana start, with Ross Barkley on the bench as Villa kicked off, with Everton in the off-white and charcoal third strip.

Everton tried to gain possession but Gana ended up fouling his man, and Villa proceeded to knock it about. McNeil did well to get some possession but drove himself into touch. The pattern continued, with Villa in early control, and Everton soon surrendering the ball if they won it back.

Tielemans got in close to win a corner that was cleared. McGinn's shot was blocked behind for another corner, a superb delivery that Watkins saw cleared off the line by Ndiaye. Rogers was next with a lame potshot at Pickford. 

Digne then overlapped past Young and crossed well for Watkins to spoon his shot wide. Everton almost got forward only for Calvert-Lewin to give the ball up far too easily again, and return to the back foot. Ndiaye was given an utterly stupid yellow card for kicking the ball away. 

But out of nothing, Dwight McNeil won a challenge with Onana and drove forward with a speculative shot from distance that amazingly crept in at the far post! Fantastic finish!!!

Iroegbunam went too close to Onana with a high boot and he saw yellow. Ndiaye chased down a long Pickford punt but could not beat his man as Spirit of the Blues rang out from the travelling Blue Army. 

Calvert-Lewin did well to get a long punt back to McNeil, only to be flagged offside for his troubles. But Mykolenko wanted attention. Harrison won a freekick off Digne as Garner replaced Mykolenko, Young switching to left-back. From the free-kick, a wonderful ball swung in by McNeil was expertly glanced home by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had done exceptionally well to stay onside. 

And in an instant, the game took on a whole different complexion. Even Watkins driving forward could do nothing against Tarkowski. Rogers was next but his shot was easy meat for Pickford to collect. 

A deep free-kick from Pickford saw Villa break but Tarkowski was there. End-to-end stuff ensued. Calvert-Lewin did some great held-up work but the ball was back with Villa far too soon and Digne overlapped Garner this time, crossing to Watkins who had a simple job to nod past Pickford off Keane and into the Everton net. Keane should really have got to it before Watkins?

The ball was delivered up to Calvert-Lewin but he could not fashion a strike on target. Villa attacked again, Gana fouling Ramsey. Tielemans's free-kick was kept away. Iroegbunam tried to break up the Villa play but Calvert-Lewin gave possession back and Rgers got in behind, but could not control the through ball.

At the other end, Ndiaye almost got the ball in to Calvert-Lewin, winning a corner as 7 minutes of stoppage time were added, but no-one could get on the corner and McNeil was offside in the second phase. 

Calvert-Lewin was fouled in the centre circle, but he could not control the long punt forward. Harrison did well to contain Digne this time, preventing the cross and drawing the foul. But Everton just could not retain possession. It was shocking at times how careless the play was.

A free-kick was punted up to Calvert-Lewin but he could not produce anything from it as the half-time whistle finally sounded with the Blues ahead at the break. 

Unai Emery exchanged one ex-Everton player for another — Barkley on for Onana — as McNeil kicked off the second half. It was nice to see Barkley's first pass to Digne roll past him and out of play. Keane did well to stop Watkins winning a ball over the top but Villa kept pushing forward. 

Slow build-up saw Rodgers denied by Pickford then Watkins's shot blocked by Garner when it looked very much like Villa would equalize. Pickford came out to head a deep clearance away but his return up to Calvert-Lewin bounced off the Everton man. 

Yong fed a good ball up to Calvert-Lewin but it ended up back in the Everton half when Calvert-Lewin was released and had far too much time to beat Martinez, allowing a defender to knock the ball behind for a corner that then came to nothing. What utterly abysmally centre-forward play from Calvert-Lewin, at his very worst.

But at least Everton were making a fist of this and getting a decent amount of the ball… they just looked so poor when it came to doing anything constructive with it. Calvert-Lewin was again released by a great Tarkowski ball and again he showed how pathetic he could be, passing back straight to a Villa player. 

And the punishment was swift, Watkins lashing a dreadful interception by Harrison past Pickford after it came to him on a plate.  

Everton should have been 4-2 up on the strength of a Calvert-Lewin hat-trick but it was now backs to the wall as Villa threw everything forward in their quest for a winner, with Everton's nervy self-confidence at rock-bottom.

Rodgers got behind the Everton defence for what would surely be another goal but somehow the cross evaded Watkins as Dyche made two remarkable early substitutions, O'Brien and Managla introduced. And O'Brein's first task was to brush Watkins aside. But Everton could not clear their lines as Villa piled on the pressure. Watkins won a corner off Young that came to nothing. 

A free-kick for a foul on Ireogbunam was finally crossed in for Keane to head softly at Martinez. Maatsen did well to get a ball back for Watkins who put his shot inches past the post when it looked far too easy for him to score. 

Everton got forward from a goal kick, McNeil crossing but inches away from Calvert-Lewin being able to convert it. That was a rare foray upfield and the Villa onslaught resumed. 

But substitute Duran saw an opportunity from a distance and hammered a worldie past Pickford, a tremendous strike that curled away from Pickford and was unstoppable. 

At the other end, Calvert-Lewin beat his man and got into space with only the goalkeeper — and the frame of the goal — to beat. It smacked off the bar and away.

End to end and Villa won a corner as Young was booked for dissent and Lindstrom replaced Ndiaye and Beto replaced Iroegbunam — five subs from Dyche... but the game was surely now lost with Villa in the ascendancy. 

Duran tried the highly acrobatic finish as Everton struggled to maintain any kind of shape. O'Brien was booked for a foul on Rogers, the free-kick delivered harmlessly to Pickford. Philogene needlessly fouled Young, giving Lindstrom a chance for a set-piece delivery into the Villa area but it came to nothing as 6 minutes of added time were played out. 

Lindstrom tried to reach Beto with a decent cross that Martinez snapped up. Duran got his header all wrong on a late Villa free-kick. 

Aston Villa: Martinez [Y:48'], Bogarde, Konsa, Pau, Digne (69' Maatsen), McGinn (89' Philogene), Onana (46' Barkley), Tielemans, Rogers, Ramsey (69' Duran), Watkins (84' Buendia).

Subs not Used: Gauci, Nedeljkovic, Diego Carlos, Young. 

Everton: Pickford, Young [Y:80'], Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko (26' Garner), Gana (64' Mangala), Iroegbunam [Y:19'] (81' Beto), Ndiaye [Y:14'] (81' Lindstrøm), Harrison (64' O'Brien), McNeil, Calvert-Lewin.

Subs not Used: Virginia, Beto, Doucoure, Armstrong, Dixon.

Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: David Coote

Michael Kenrick

Match Preview

Everton go into their first game since their nine-minute nightmare at the end of their match against Bournemouth before the international break, hoping to make immediate amends in Saturday's televised clash with Aston Villa.

Sean Dyche's team somehow let a 2-0 lead slip by conceding twice in stoppage time and lost 3-2 before heading into a two-week hiatus from Premier League action with plenty of time to ruminate on what went wrong and how to fix it.

The manager was asked during his pre-match press conference how he explains an implosion like the one his team suffered in that match and how he and his staff go about picking the players up after such a psychological setback.

“I’d like to think after [my] 20 months here, the players would have learned to deal with those situations," Dyche replied. "Obviously, we didn’t on the day; we didn’t do the things that were necessary to see the game through and we’ve got to continually learn from that.

“You know, the game’s never over. I’ve been asked many times about not celebrating goals, and that’s why — the game’s never over. Until the game’s finished., then you can have a quiet celebration in my case, but that’s why I don’t go running up and down the pitch and that sort of stuff because the game [can] change.

“Against Bournemouth was a good example of that when the game should be dead, we know that. [A] very strong performance for 87-ish minutes and then we all saw what went on next.

“That was a really hard one to take and it happens from time to time. Fortunately not very often but it did happen, so how we deal with that and we talk to the players [is important] but most of them are mature enough to see if through and we just didn’t do that.”

Seamus Coleman has been described by Dyche as "touch and go" for this one after sustaining a knock on international duty with Ireland last weekend.

The Club captain had to be withdrawn from the Nations League match against England after taking a kick to the ankle from Harry Maguire but he has a small chance of being involved at Villa Park.

Dyche said that he will be assessed during the team's training session on Friday morning before any decision is made but the manager reiterated that Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite remain a way from match fitness after recovering from their respective hamstring and hernia surgeries.

Both players have returned to training with the first-team in the hope that they can either figure in the Carabao Cup tie against Southampton next Tuesday or against Leicester the following Saturday.

Meanwhile, Orel Mangala is poised for this first involvement as an Everton player after arriving from Lyon on loan on transfer deadline day.

The Belgian went straight to join up with his Red Devils team-mates for their international fixtures over the break but arrived at Finch Farm "bright and breezy and wants to be part of the group", in Dyche's words and he is expected to be in the squad for the trip to Villa Park.

The former Nottingham Forest midfielder will wear the No.8 shirt vacated by Amadou Onana who joined the Villans over the summer in a £50m deal and if Mangala is handed his debut, the two compatriots could face off in midfield this weekend.

Onana, who made his own debut off the bench for Everton in this fixture two years ago, has made a strong start to life in the Midlands with two goals in his first three Premier League games but the Blues will be hoping for a repeat of their performance in the EFL Cup on this ground last season as opposed to the 4-0 drubbing they suffered against Unai Emery's men 13 months ago.

Everton ended Villa's long unbroken sequence of home wins by defeating them handsomely in the third round tie, with James Garner and Dominic Calvert-Lewin on target in a 2-1 victory.

Coleman's likely absence this weekend leaves a problem once again at right back where Ashley Young is Dyche's preferred option when fit again, even if James Garner might be better suited due to his comparative youth and versatility. It's almost inconceivable that the conservative Dyche would consider young Roman Dixon, despite his strong debut against Tottenham last month.

Assuming the manager doesn't opt for a back five, the central-defensive pairing is likely to be unchanged with Branthwaite still out. Michael Keane has been preferred to Jake O’Brien and almost certainly will again given the fact that the latter has yet to play a single Premier League minute for the club since arriving from Lyon.

The game will see other reunions, with Tim Iroegbunam returning to his old stomping ground and Lucas Digne going up against his former club once more. And, regrettably, this match will also reunite the referee/VAR double-act of Craig Pawson and David Coote who oversaw the hugely controversial Anfield derby last season.

Iliman Ndiaye is surely a shoo-in after his revelatory display against Bournemouth and will likely be deployed in the same front attacking as against the Cherries with Jack Harrison and Dwight McNeil.

Villa come into the game having won two of their opening three fixtures, with their only defeat coming to title-chasing Arsenal at the Emirates. They will be strong favorites based on their excellent 2023–24 season and Everton's horrific start to the current campaign.

However, they no longer boast the awesome home record that they did when the two teams last met at Villa Park — they have only won a third of their last dozen home fixtures and have the added distraction of their first Champions League match looming on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, they have attacking talent in abundance even with Leon Bailey almost certain to miss out. The Jamaican winger, who scored this game last season, has a hamstring injury and will be sidelined but Emery is hopeful that summer Everton transfer target Jaden Philogene could replace him if he is passed fit.

Matty Cash and Diego Carlos are also ruled out along with longer-term absentees Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings but there had been no news about Ollie Watkins, who came back early from England duty with an unspecified issue, until Friday morning.  

The striker netted a penalty in a 2-0 Villa win at Goodison Park in February last year and, as such, wouldn't be missed by Dyche and company this weekend but Emery has confirmed he is available.

First and foremost, the Blues fans who will be travelling down en masse to Birmingham will want to see a response in terms of the performance from Dyche's men. A positive result of any kind would be warmly received but avoiding the kind of hiding the Toffees suffered here last season is a must.

Kick-off: 5:30 pm, Saturday 14 September 2024
Referee: Craig Pawson
VAR: David Coote
Last Time: Aston Villa 4 - 0 Everton

Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko, Gueye, Iroegbunam, Harrison, McNeil, Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin

Lyndon Lloyd

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