Aston Villa Came From Behind To Beat Everton 3-2
Substitute Jhon Duran’s sensational long-range strike earned Aston Villa a memorable Premier League comeback victory as Everton crumbled from 2-0 up for the second consecutive game.
The Blues were left shell-shocked when they fell apart in the final minutes against Bournemouth last time out and they had a familiar feeling on Saturday, letting slip a two-goal lead once more to remain pointless this season.
The visitors were on the back foot early on with Ollie Watkins seeing a header cleared off the line before they shocked the hosts with the breakthrough.
Dwight McNeil robbed former Toffee Amadou Onana of possession – which the visiting fans enjoyed – before the winger darted forward and drilled a precise finish low into the far corner.
Bereft of confidence, Sean Dyche’s side were given little hope of a picking up a result but they doubled their advantage on 27 minutes through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s towering header.
But Villa responded before the interval as ex-Everton full-back Lucas Digne teased a cross to the back post for Watkins to nod in his first goal of the campaign.
Unai Emery’s team begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday and his side showed their mettle by restoring parity as England international Watkins slotted in from close range following Jack Harrison’s miscued clearance.
And the hosts completed a fine comeback 14 minutes from time as Colombian striker Duran picked the ball up 25 yards out before walloping a dipping, swerving drive in the top corner leaving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford no chance.
The most played fixture in English league history served up a frantic affair in which Villa hit back in superb fashion after looking like losing back-to-back games at home this term.
Spaniard Emery has performed a remarkable job since taking over from Steven Gerrard in October 2022, steering the side from the edge of the relegation zone to Europe’s top table following a fourth-placed finish last season.
Villa won the European Cup in 1982 and their dream of competing with the continent’s elite will be realised again with a trip to Young Boys in three days’ time.
They warmed up for that game by making hard work of beating an Everton side that looked like collecting a shock result on the road, but Watkins ended a barren run of eight games without a goal by nodding in and converting another opportunistic strike.
He could have completed his hat-trick but sent his first-time shot effort wide of the post before fellow frontman Duran stepped up to take the acclaim.
There looked to be no danger when Duran picked the ball up a long way out from goal but he unleashed a ferocious shot which nestled in the corner of the net.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game and Villa moved up to third in the table, with only the defeat against title contenders Arsenal the blemish on their impressive record so far.
