Toffees crumble again as Aston Villa come from behind to down Everton
Having picked up three points in each of their last five games after an international break, Villa looked full of confidence in the early stages, with Ollie Watkins seeing a close-range header blocked on the line by Iliman Ndiaye.
It was the visitors, however, who took a shock lead against the run of play in the 16th minute, as Dwight McNeil dispossessed former Everton player Amadou Onana before advancing to the edge of the box and finishing brilliantly into the far corner.
Buoyed by the opener, Everton doubled their advantage shortly before the half-hour mark, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin timing his run to perfection to head home from McNeil’s inviting delivery.
That goal sparked the hosts into life, and after Morgan Rogers twice went close for Unai Emery’s men, they finally halved the deficit when Lucas Digne’s lofted cross was converted by Watkins at the back post.
Villa carried the momentum that goal created into the second half but Jordan Pickford came to the Toffees’ rescue, thwarting Rogers from close range.
There was nothing the Everton keeper could do shortly afterwards, though, as Watkins pounced on a loose touch from Jack Harrison in the box to finish coolly and draw his side level.
The end-to-end nature of the contest showed no signs of slowing down, with Rogers misjudging a simple cut-back for Watkins, while at the other end, Michael Keane spurned a good-headed chance for the visitors.
With time ticking into the final 20 minutes, Emery added extra firepower to his frontline with the introduction of Duran, and the Colombian had an immediate impact, firing a spectacular 30-yard strike into the top corner to send Villa Park into raptures.
Sean Dyche’s side came within inches of finding a swift leveller when Calvert-Lewin crashed an effort against the bar, but that was ultimately as close as they’d come, with Villa holding firm to extend their dominant head-to-head record to 11 matches unbeaten (W8, D3).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)