Aston Villa 3 - 0 Everton

Half-time: 1 - 0

An early goal by the pacey Joachim sets the scene, with an utterly supine Everton failing to muster a single shot in the 1st half. It is compounded after the interval when Collins departs after picking up a second yellow card, and Dublin belts in a second goal for Villa. So its back to normal service as Smith's defensive-minded tactics consign Everton to another miserable and unadventurous defeat. A late goal by Taylor, after both Jeffers and Pembridge came on way too late, sealed an emphatic if easy win for table-topping Villa.

We reverted back to five at the back. Ball was back in the team (albeit at wing-back again) while Watson took a rest. The rumour when we first got the ground was that the Jeffers thing was sorted and that he was sub but I didn't get into the ground until after the teams were out and couldn't see him on the bench, so I didn't have this confirmed 'till I saw him warming up much too late in the second half. The other thing that struck me on getting into the ground was how few Villa fans had made it to their teams first home game.

As play panned out I couldn't tell you who was partnering Cambell, it might have been the Don, it might have been Barmby, it might be he was supposed to be up on his own. Either way the forward possession we needed to clarify this simply never came and so I left the game none the wiser.

It took Villa no time at all to make the breakthrough. Gough jumped and misjudged a header, Unsworth (who was inevitably getting tons of stick from the Villa lot) failed to track his man. Jochaim was through and whilst Gerrard looked to have got the angle narrowed, the shot saw itself in.

And that was the sum action of the first half. I honestly can't remember either team creating another chance all half. The only scrap of comfort was that, the goal apart, they looked every bit as crap as us by the break. Best league in the world? You'd see more thrilling matches that this at your local girls kindergarten.

Half time 'entertainment' consisted of yelling 'dodgy keeper' at David James who'd come out to practice in the goal right in front of us. Like he was bothered.

Second half Walter mysteriously thought the starting line-up was worth sticking with, and for a brief five minute spell we stepped up our game from abysmal to merely poor. Then Collins committed another rash, though not shocking tackle. The referee pulled out the yellow, but he'd already picked up one in the first half, so next came the red. Back to abysmal.

Ball pushed up to midfield and we went to a back four. Villa decided to wake up and make the most of the man advantage. Their second goal was quality – a strong run along the touch line, a good cross, and a sweet volley from Dublin.

Walter eventually decided to try something new. Jeffers came on, and instantly we looked like we had an attack – but without the support from midfield it was an empty gesture that came far, far too late. Pembridge also came on for Ward and looked OK.

The Salt in the wound came not long from the end, a thumper from outside the box from Ian Taylor put even a miracle out of reach. The Evertonians started their exodus. It was one of those games when you couldn't wait for the final whistle to put us out of our misery.

We were as bad here as we were at Southampton on the last game of last season if that helps anyone grasp just how poor this was. The faces of the strong Everton support that had made the mid-week journey told a story. I only hope that the poor sods making the trek to London on Saturday get better value.

Marks out of 10? The entire team a below par 6 – and that is being kind!

Only eight minutes had elapsed when the elusive Joachim anticipated Dublin getting the better of Richard Gough, Everton's veteran defensive recruit, in a battle for Ugo Ehiogu's high ball. He outpaced the covering Weir and steadied himself before shooting confidently past Paul Gerrard.

The visitors laboured to create even a solitary opening in what degenerated into a poor first half. Villa dominated territorially but were no more creative and could only look back at a wayward Dublin volley and a deflected free-kick by Alan Thompson as serious attacking moments before half-time.

Villa showed more urgency in the second half and Dublin, who was just off target with an overhead in the opening exchanges, scored a splendid second goal after 56 minutes. Thompson's excellent diagonal ball to the overlapping Alan Wright split the defence and the wing-back's cross was so precise that Dublin could afford to wait for it to land on his right boot before volleying past Gerrard.

By then Everton were reduced to 10 men, Scotland midfielder John Collins paying a high price for two mistimed tackles on Mark Delaney. Dublin was given a rest after giving Villa breathing space and his replacement, Paul Merson, was immediately in the thick of the action, worrying Gerard with an instinctive chip which sailed over by only a couple of feet.

Villa's night ended with a flourish when Taylor robbed Don Hutchison and took a return pass from Joachim on the top of its bounce before hammering a fierce shot past the despairing Gerrard.

Maximum points from the first two fixtures actually represents a better return than Villa managed a year ago. Everton, already trailing before John Collins's harsh 49th-minute dismissal, were depressingly unambitious and could well face another season of struggle.

The all-English side which swept Villa to the summit last autumn has now been reinforced, or diluted depending on your viewpoint, by an Israeli, a Dutchman and a Scot. But the presence of eight Englishmen in John Gregory's starting line-up had helped to attract Kevin Keegan, and Villa's eighth-minute goal alone may have persuaded the England manager his trip was worthwhile.

All three players involved are fringe candidates for Keegan's next squad. Ugo Ehiogu launched a long ball, for which Dublin out-jumped Richard Gough to send Joachim sprinting clear. The diminutive striker held off the covering defender, David Weir, before dispatching a low drive which hit the net via Paul Gerrard's trailing hand.

In terms of timing, the blow was near identical to the one which Joachim's predecessor in the Villa attack, Dwight Yorke, subjected them on Sunday. Joachim also scored last weekend, of course, although the excellence of his winner at Newcastle tended to be overlooked in the wake of Ruud Gullit's outburst against the referee.

Everton continue to look like a team who have Manchester United's Jaap Stam leading their embryonic scoring chart. With only Kevin Campbell up front for long periods, they left the former Liverpool goalkeeper David James a virtual spectator on his home debut.

James was not forced into a save until the opening minute of the second half when he comfortably held a long-range volley from Collins. The Scotland midfielder, who missed a penalty against Villa on his Premiership debut, remained on the pitch only a further three minutes until he tripped Mark Delaney on the touchline for the second time. As in the first instance, it looked no more than a mistimed tackle, but Collins received a red card along with a second yellow.

Everton's fortunes deteriorated further following another goal bearing the stamp "Made in England". Alan Thompson, whose cultured left foot could well be pressed into national service this season, played Alan Wright in on the overlap. The wing-back's cross, expertly cut back, was met by a right-footed volley of equal precision by Dublin from around the penalty spot.

Gregory felt sufficiently confident of the outcome to use the three permitted substitutes – England internationals all – and Villa helped themselves to a third goal six minutes from time. Joachim set up Taylor, whose rising drive from 22 yards left Gerrard helpless.

Two wins out of two games, though, will do for starters and, as in their 1-0 victory against Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday, they were aided by their opponents losing a player. John Collins, the Everton midfield general, was dismissed in the fiftieth minute for committing his second foul on Mark Delaney, the Villa defender, and collecting his second yellow card.

The day had started well for Collins when his wife gave birth to their third child, a boy. It continued when he played a leading role in Everton's initial endeavours, sporadic and ill-thought out they might have been, but it got worse from then on. His first booking arrived in the 32nd minute, when he clipped the heels of Delaney near the touchline – a needless act and rightly punished. He repeated the trick – this time on the opposite touchline – soon after the second half had commenced and was swiftly despatched by Graham Barber, the referee. On Saturday, it had been Alan Shearer, the Newcastle captain, who was shown the red card, allowing Villa to sneak their win with a late goal from Julian Joachim.

Walter Smith, the Everton manager, was not amused. "It was always a struggle after John went off," he said. "I can't remember him being sent off before and it was a diabolical decision. If players are going to get booked for every foul, then fair enough, but that's not in the rules, is it? It's crazy that they're getting sent off for things like this.

"John only just caught the lad and there were a lot of other challenges like that that went without a booking. It was probably only his second foul of the game, they were both innocuous fouls and he's off. I'll have to tell my players not to tackle in future, that's what it's getting to."

Smith was not impressed with Everton's lethargic opening, either. "We didn't start well and I was disappointed, even though we weren't put under a great deal of pressure. We gave away a bad first goal, which didn't help," he said.

Villa hardly caught the eye, either, but at least created and finished the best move of the half. Ehiogu thumped the ball forward in the rough area of his forwards and Dublin out-jumped Gough to nod it on. Unsworth slipped over, Weir could not make up lost ground and Joachim thundered a shot past Gerrard for his second goal of the season.

The rest of the period quickly passed into the memory and will probably be lost forever. It was awful. Nobody was able to control the ball, let alone pass it, and the half-time whistle came as a blessing.

Collins's departure at least livened up proceedings and Joachim could have stretched Villa's lead soon after. He cut in from the left, easily outpacing Weir, but found the angle too tight and could only place his shot into the side-netting.

Everton offered little in return and Villa predictably trebled their advantage in the one-sided closing stages. Thompson created the second goal with a pass to the overlapping Wright, who scampered away before crossing deep into the Everton area. Dublin carefully watched it arrive and, almost casually, drove the ball high into Gerrard's net. It was his first goal since April.

Smith brought on Jeffers, the so-called contract rebel, and he could have reduced the deficit with one of his first touches, but James smothered his attempt as he prepared to shoot. Villa responded with a third goal four minutes from the end. Taylor dispossessed Hutchison, ran on to gather Joachim's subsequent pass and beat Gerrard with a firm, rising drive. Game over, Villa back on top.

"I think we've been here before, which is nice," John Gregory, the Villa manager, said, "but it's nothing to go overboard about. All we've got to do is concentrate on winning the next game and the next and then where we end up remains to be seen. The content, at times, was average but we will get better. It's at least better to go into training in the morning after two wins rather than two defeats."

Villa fans have seen it all before. Gregory's side started last season with an unbeaten run of 12 matches – a club record – but finished it off with only three wins in 16. They missed a place in Europe, out came the cheque book and off they go again. Doug Ellis, the Villa chairman, may not be so tolerant if they fail this time.

Follow this link to our new Results and Statistics page