Jhon Duran’s screamer and Ollie Watkins’ brace completed a stunning turnaround for Aston Villa as they fought back to beat Everton 3-2 at Villa Park.
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Everton remain without a point in the Premier League this season, despite having gone two goals up in back-to-back matches. Dwight McNeil gave Everton the lead against the run of play on 16 minutes, before turning provider for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s header.
The deficit awakened a previously struggling Watkins, who pulled one back before half-time by nodding home a Lucas Digne cross from close range. Watkins added to his tally after the break, tapping in after a mistake from Jack Harrison.
Duran played super-sub yet again, entering the pitch on 69 minutes before firing Villa into the lead seven minutes later with a blistering strike from over 29 yards out.
The winner, in all its glory ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/L6fafOM6Cc
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 14, 2024
The victory lifts Villa into third place, only behind Liverpool on goal difference. Everton, meanwhile, remain stuck to the bottom having lost four out of four in the Premier League.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
11 | +15 | 28 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
11 | +9 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
11 | +8 | 19 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
11 | +6 | 19 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
11 | +5 | 19 |
How the match unfolded
Everton’s first chance of the match provided their first goal. It took a piece of individual brilliance in the 16th minute, as McNeil won possession from Amadou Onana in the Villa defensive line before firing into the far bottom right corner from the top of the box.
The visitors were two goals to the good just 11 minutes later as McNeil turned provider to float an inch-perfect free-kick into the box off the right where Calvert-Lewin rose highest to head home.
But the hosts soon fought their way back into the match, halving the deficit before half-time. Digne chipped a ball from the left byline to the far post where Watkins arrived first to nod it past Jordan Pickford.
On 58 minutes, Villa had cancelled out Everton's lead as Youri Tielemans' long ball over the top was deflected into the path of Watkins by Everton’s Harrison, leaving the striker with little to do to tap home and double his tally.
Duran delivered spectacularly to complete Villa’s turnaround in the 76th minute as he rifled a blistering shot screamer into the roof of the net, leaving Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez shocked.
Calvert-Lewin nearly levelled soon after to spoil the party but his shot bounced back off the crossbar.
Watkins back in the goals for Villa
Prior to Saturday, Watkins had not scored for Villa since 14 April, exactly five months ago to the day.
Against Everton, however, he proved instrumental in the hosts’ comeback as he provided both goals that brought Unai Emery’s side level with Everton, before Duran finished the job.
Watkins returned to Villa off the back of reaching the UEFA EURO 2024 final with England, having scored the decisive goal to put the Three Lions through in the semi-finals.
While the striker has been finding the right positions so far this season, his luck and clinical instinct were yet to arrive back from Germany with him.
It is a tough ask for any player to return to form after a shortened pre-season, but the expectations on Watkins are such that he is not afforded the luxury of being eased back into action with little scrutiny.
Today, however, Villa Park witnessed his impressive finishing return and, with it, his confidence. The England striker will no doubt kick on from here and continue adding to his tally in claret and blue.
Defensive deja vu for Dyche
Everton were left reeling in their final match before the international break having found themselves two goals up, only to lose 3-2 to a resurgent AFC Bournemouth side.
Sean Dyche will be left wondering if he is living in a recurring nightmare after his side once more find themselves leaving with zero points having had a two-goal lead.
While the visitors’ attacking instinct has visibly improved as they doubled their season’s goal tally inside the opening 30 minutes of their encounter at Villa Park, their defensive discipline remains lacking.
Dyche was forced into an early defensive change as Vitalii Mykolenko went down injured in the 26th minute, leading to the introduction of natural midfielder James Garner.
The substitute was at fault for Watkins’ first goal, giving Digne far too much space, but Everton’s 13 goals conceded in four matches cannot be pinned on one substitution.
Dyche looks increasingly under pressure after watching his side cede a comfortable lead twice in a row, as Everton remain pointless in the league.
Club reports
What the managers said:
Unai Emery: “I’m very happy because for the supporters it was amazing. Losing 2-0, we were playing well and we were dominating, imposing our positioning and creating chances. We didn’t score and we conceded two opportunities to them and they scored. The supporters were really, really understanding of how we could come back the result by being patient, playing with our structure and not changing anything."
Sean Dyche: “We’re certainly taking some knocks at the minute. Every mistake seems to be a goal, and every chance we don’t quite capitalise on. Unfortunately we were on the wrong side of the margins again today. It’s a tough one to take, for different reasons than the last game. We’re down to a low squad anyway, so it’s been a challenge – without a shadow of a doubt.”
Next Premier League fixtures
Key facts
Everton have become just the second side in Premier League history to lose back-to-back games having led by 2+ goals in both after Bournemouth in October/November 2022.
Seven of Jhon Durán’s eight Premier League goals for Aston Villa have come as a substitute, with all three of his goals in the competition this season being winning goals from the bench. Indeed, no player has scored more winners as a substitute in a single Premier League campaign.
Calvert-Lewin has scored 56 Premier League goals for Everton (level with Tim Cahill), with only Romelu Lukaku (68) and Duncan Ferguson (60) netting more for the Toffees in the competition.
Villa’s Martínez has been shown 19 yellow cards in the Premier League with only two goalkeepers receiving more in the competition's history (Jussi Jaaskelainen 24 & Ederson 20).