Key events
Half-time: Aston Villa 1-2 Everton
Peep! Craig Pawson blows his whistle to bring the first half to a close and Everton go in with a 2-1 lead they’ve been struggling to hold on to. Dwight McNeil opened the scoring with an opportunistic left-footed shot from the edge of the area before turning provider at a free-kick.
His delivery from the right was headed home by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Villa goalkeeper Emi MNartinez will feel; he should have done better at both goals.
Everton’s lead was halved by Ollie Watkins, who rose highest to head home a Lucas Digne cross from the left and give travelling supporters the absolute heebie -jeebies with over an hour of the game to go. Their team couldn’t possibly squander two two-goal leads in succession, could they? Of course they could, because … well, they’re Everton.
45+5 min: Everton send the ball long in the general direction of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, a tactic that has worked reasonably well for them so far in this game. On this occasion, the delivery is overhit and the striker is unable to get near the ball.
45+3 min: “Watkins looked like he pushed down on Michael Keane to reach the ball for the goal,” writes Ted. “Either that or Keane ducked to let him reach it. Not enough to be a foul in my opinion but a weird look for Keane, who appeared to be trying to get out of Watkins’ way.”
I’d need to see it again, Ted, but I know there are a lot of Everton fans who are baffled by Keane’s continued presence in the Everton defence when their summer signing Jake O’Brien is sitting on the bench.
Having said that, I’m guessing not too many Everton fans are familiar with the Irish defender’s work, considering he spent last season at Lyon and has only ever played in England for Swindon. I’m Irish and had never even heard of him before he moved to Everton.
45+1 min: We’ll have seven minutes of added time at the end of the first half, which seems a bit excessive, even if there were a couple of stoppages and one substitution.
44 min: Youri Tielemans picks out a brilliantly timed Rogers run in behind the Everton defence with an inch perfect pass over the top from deep but the Villa striker’s first touch lets him down. He fails to bring the ball down cleanly and a wonderful chance to equalise goes begging.
43 min: Ezri Konsa cuts out a low Dwight McNeil cross from the left into the Villa box. Moments later, Ashley Young sportingly puts the ball out of play so that Pau Torres can put his boot back on after it had become separated from his foot.
42 min: Youri Tielemans floats the dead ball into the Everton penalty area, where its cleared.
40 min: Jacob Ramssey is fouled by Idrissa Gueye a few yards outside the Everton penalty area and Villa have a free-kick in a good position.
38 min: Play is paused so Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford can recieve treatment for an injury. He seems to be OK as the game resumes and he connects with a backpass, booting the ball as far as he can up the field.
GOAL! Aston Villa 1-2 Everton (Watkins 36)
Aston Villa pull one back! Ollie Watkins scores his first of the season, leaping higher than Michael Keane to nod home an inch-perfect Lucas Digne cross to the far post.
35 min: Everton boot the ball clear and Dominic Calvert-Lewin does well to hold it up under pressure from Pau Torres. That’s excellent centre-forward play.
33 min: Everton win a free-kick just inside their own half and are in no rush to take it. The Villa Park crowd jeer and whistle Jordan Pickford as the Everton goalkeeper dawdles over it. He won’t mind that one bit but is perhaps a little lucky to avoid a booking for time-wasting
31 min: A sweeping move upfield from Aston Villa ends with Morgan Rogers shooting low, hard and straight at Jordan Pickford from a good position a couple of yards outside the Everton penalty area.
29 min: The good news for Everton is that Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s headed goal from about eight yards out has given them a two-goal lead. The bad news is that they have recent form in the field of throwing away a two-goal lead and Villa have over an hour left to overturn this deficit.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Everton (Calvert-Lewin 27)
Everton double their lead! Dominic Calvert-Lewin converts a Dwight McNeil free-kick from the right, with Emiliano Martinez stranded in no-man’s land.
There’s a VAR check for offside. I think this will be given, as Youri Tielemans, standing behind him, appeared to be playing him onside. The goal is given!!!
26 min: Everton substitution: James Garner on for the injured Vitaly Mkolenko.
24 min: Play is interrupted so Vitaly Mykolenko can receive treatment for an injury. Everton boss Sean Dyche uses the break to give Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dwight McNeil an animated pep-talk on the touchline. He doesn’t look happy either.
22 min: Ndiaye is fouled and Everton win a free-kick deep in his own half. Unai Emery is going crazy at the touchline, gyrating and gesticulating furiously in a manner as if to suggest … well, your guess is as good as mine. I’m not sure if it’s the referee or one of his own players who is the subject of his considerable ire.
20 min: Everton midffielder Tim Oregbunam is booked for a late challenge on Onana, who was definitely fouled on this occasion. He’s the second Everton player to have his name taken as Iliman Ndiaye saw yellow shortly before the goal for kicking the ball away and delaying a restart.
18 min: Andre Onana was lying on the ground hbolding his shin when that goal was scored, claiming he’d been fouled when McNeil robbed the ball from him. I suspect the only thing injured in that particular coming-together was the Villa midfielder’s pride. His former teammate has made him look a right chump.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Everton (McNeil 16)
Everton lead! Dwight McNeil outmuscles Andre Onana, wins the ball and drives forward. With the Villa defence backpedalling furiously, he looks up and fires a low shot into the bottom right-hand corner from about 25 yards out.
14 min: The camera cuts to the Villa directors’ box, where Tyrone Mings is seated beside a man who looks suspiciously like the England interim manager Lee Carsley. Mings is due back in action next month after over a year out with a knee injury. Good luck to him!
11 min: Villa are in the ascendency and their latest attack comes in the form of a squared ball from Lucas Digne on the left, which Watkins shanks high and wide from about eight yards out.
The Villa striker connected with the ball on the stretch and might have been better served leaving it for Rogers, who was in a good position just behind him.
10 min: Morgan Rogers beats Tim Oregbunam to a 50-50 ball and finds himself in space just outside the Everton penalty area. His shot is surprisingly weak and straight at Jordan Pickford, who probably can’t believe his luck.
8 min: Lucas Digne picks out Ollie Watkins with a corner sent deep and the Villa striker’s downward header is blocked about a yard from the line by Iliman Ndiaye. That’s a goal-saving block!
7 min: Out on the right flank, McGinn latches on to a long Tielemans ball from deep and traps it expertly. He plays it inside to Rogers, who immediately loses it.
5 min: From a position wide on the left, Morgan Rogers spots a Tielemans run and plays the ball into the midfielder’s path. The Belgian’s low shot from a tight-ish angle is blocked by James Tarkowski.
4 min: Morgan Rogers plays the ball out wide to John McGinn on the right but the Villa skipper’s attempt to cut inside past Vitaly Mykolenko is foiled by Everton’s Ukrainian full-back.
3 min: Play is broken up by the concession of two or three throw-ins in quick succession, halfway inside the Villa half. It’s all very scrappy in these very early stages.
2 min: Idrissa Gueye brings down Youri Tielemans near the halfway line, conceding an early free-kick. Everton’s players are wearing white shirts today, with black shorts and white socks.
Aston Villa v Everton is go …
1 min: Aston Villa get the ball rolling, being forced to kick towards the Holte End in this first half. Their fans are unimpressed with Everton’s early act of impertinence.
Not long now: Referee Craig Pawson and his team of match officials lead both sets of players out on to the Villa Park pitch. The last of the pre-match formalities are under way and kick-off is just a few minutes away.
In the absence of Seamus Coleman, James Tarkowski wears the captain’s armband for Everton, while John McGinn skippers Aston Villa.
A tale of two midfielders: Having moved in opposite directions along the M6 during the summer, Everton’s Tim Oregbunam and Aston Villa’s Amadou Onana will go toe to toe as they face their former clubs this evening.
As things stand, it could be argued that Iroegbunam has got the dirty end of that particular stick, while Onana has got his Aston Villa career off to a flyer, scoring two goals in his first three games for them.
How things stand: Following Liverpool’s shock home defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest this afternoon, a win tonight will send Aston Villa level on points with Arne Slot’s side, who are currently second in the table, three points behind Manchester City. A win for Everton will take them from the foot of the table to the dizzy heights of 15th.
Today’s match officials
Referee: Craig Pawson.
Assistant referees: Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan.
Fourth official: David Webb.
VAR: David Coote.
Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.
Aston Villa: The club’s eye-popping Champions League pricing has rankled the fanbase amid planned protests at tonight’s match against Everton. Ben Fisher reports …
Sean Dyche: “It’s my responsibility”
Speaking ahead of today’s game, Everton’s manager was asked about his side’s collapse last time out against Bournemouth, in a match where they lost 3-2, despite being two goals up after 87 minutes.
“We’re all disappointed with that and inevitably it’s my responsibility,” he said. “The players, I’d like to think, over 20 months here, have learned to deal with those situations. We obviously 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.
“The game is never over. How we deal with that, it is more reminders. We have a group of players who are mature enough to know at that stage of the game to see it through and we just didn’t do that.”
Those teams: In a selection that is bound to prompt eyerolls among members of the travelling support, Sean Dyche makes just one change to the side that started against Bournemouth and it’s been forced by injury. Ashley Young comes in at right-back for Seamus Coleman.
Unai Emery also makes one change to the side that beat Leicester City last time out. Jacob Ramsey comes in for the hamstrung Leon Bailey.
Aston Villa v Everton line-ups
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Ramsey, Watkins.
Subs: Gauci, Diego Carlos, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Young.
Everton: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, Iroegbunam, Gueye, Harrison, Ndiaye, McNeil, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Virginia, Mangala, Beto, O’Brien, Doucoure, Lindstrom, Garner, Armstrong, Dixon.
Early team news
Leon Bailey (hamstring) and Matty Cash (thigh) are both out for Villa, who are ready to welcome Jaden Philogene and Dieigo Carlos back from injury. Tyrone Mings is back in full training following his recovery from the knee injury that has kept him sidelined for over a year and it will not be a massive surprise if he features in today’s matchday squad.
Orel Malanga is available for selection for Everton following his deadline day loan move from Lyon, but Armando Broja, brought in on loan on the same day from Chelsea, is out with injury. Everton defenders Jarrad Brantwaithe and Nathan Patterson are both yet to play for Everton this season and remain out injured, while Seamus Coleman is a doubt after picking up an injury while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland.
Aston Villa v Everton
Premier League: Without a Premier League point on the board and having seen their team soil the sheets in quite extraordinary fashion last time out, Everton’s fans have had a fortnight to stew over the manner in which Sean Dyche and his players somehow snatched a morale-sapping defeat from the jaws of apparently easy victory against Bournemouth.
They travel to face Aston Villa, whose club hierarchy incensed fans with the recent announcement that tickets to see their club compete in the Champions League this season will be prohibitively expensive for many season ticket holders who would like to see their team play in Europe’s top competition for the first time in 30 years.
With a trip to Switzerland to face Young Boys on Tuesday looming, Unai Emery will need to keep his players focussed on the more mundane domestic business in hand, while Dyche has to try and pick his off the floor in order to kick-start a season that has been little short of disastrous for Everton so far. Kick-off is at 5.30pm but we’ll have team news and build-up in the meantime.
