Aston Villa took a huge leap in ensuring Premier League safety by seeing off Everton 3-2 in an entertaining contest
at Villa Park on Saturday.
The Villains were the better team for the majority of the match, but the win was set up by a brace from in-form striker Christian Benteke and a standout performance in midfield from captain Fabian Delph. Importantly, three points sees Tim Sherwood’s men sitting in 14th place on 35, keeping their noses ahead of 18th placed Sunderland on 33 in the tight relegation battle.
Villa’s Belgian striker opened the scoring in emphatic style in the ninth minute, beating both Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka in the air to thunder a header past Tim Howard. Benteke would double his money before half-time after finding space at a corner. Jack Grealish’s delivery was headed on by Ron Vlaar, finding an unmarked Benteke at the far post who smashed in.
The away side was lucky not to be down further at the end of the 45. A Vlaar free header in the 28th minute hit the outside of the post and went out for a goalkick.
The 2-0 half-time lead was all Villa deserved, controlling the play and with Everton offering very little, having no shots on goal in the first half and appearing loose at the back. The Toffees were given a lifeline shortly after the break when Steven Naismith picked up possession in the box after a mazy run from Romelu Lukaku and was brought down by Vlaar.
Lukaku stepped up the spot and confidently converted.
But Villa would regain its two-goal advantage six minutes later. An inch-perfect through ball from Leandro Bacuna found the onrushing Tom Cleverley, who blasted past Howard. Jagielka would score from a set play in stoppage time, but it proved merely a consolation.
The win is Villa’s first over Everton since 2010, and snapped the Blues’ six-match unbeaten run.
Villa set for survival
It is not set in stone just yet, but Tim Sherwood’s side appears safe from the drop. Villa is two points ahead of Sunderland, who picked up a vital win itself against high-flying Southampton.
The performance against Everton was typical of the club’s rejuvenation under Sherwood, who has now seen his team score 16 goals since he took over; under Paul Lambert, Villa only hit the scoresheet 13 times.
Led by Delph and Benteke, the form that was on display will hold the Villains in good stead in the final three games of the season, which sees them host West Ham United and Burnley, with a trip to Southampton in between. Realistically, Villa should win two of these three matches, ensuring survival.
Old problems come back to haunt Toffees
It was almost like being transported back in time six weeks. Since Everton’s unbeaten streak began against Newcastle United, it has been tight at the back and had conceded only two goals, keeping four clean sheets.
Prior to that, the Blues had the unwelcome record of leading Europe’s top leagues for goals conceded from defensive errors. That form was back on display against Villa, with each of the home team’s goals coming as a result of some lax defending by Everton.
Benteke showed his aerobic bag of tricks to open the scoring, but Jagielka and Baines allowed him to get in between them and drive at the ball far too easily.
The Belgian would again take advantage of lacklustre defending, this time given time and space at a corner to score unchallenged.
Even the pick of the goals from Cleverley was made easier than it should have been by the Toffees. Nothing should be taken away from the quality of the goal, both the assist and the finish, but it was preventable from Everton’s point of view. Lukaku allowed Vlaar an unchallenged header to start the play, while Gareth Barry failed to track the run of Cleverley.
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Martinez made to lament changes
Roberto Martinez made two changes to the team that so comprehensively beat Manchester United 3-0. Kevin Mirallas was rewarded for his goal, while utility Naismith was also drafted into the XI, at the expense of Ross Barkley and Leon Osman.
The changes proved detrimental to the Everton cause, however. Barkley’s omission left the Blues devoid of creativity through midfield. The Blues did not muster a successful pass into the penalty area, reflective of a poor, forgetful opening half.
Without Osman, the Toffees’ work rate in the front third appeared down somewhat, and lacking composure. The gamble by Martinez to change a winning formula backfired.
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