Aston Villa 3-2 Everton
by Gene Sylvester
at Villa Park

IT WAS all a bit too familiar for Sean Dyche, 2-0 up to 3-2 down; he had seen this movie before, but didn’t expect to rewatch the same horror so soon after the first one.

For the second game in successive matches, the Everton boss watched his side surrender a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 at Villa Park as Unai Emery’s Aston Villa recovered from nightmare start to claim all three points following an epic fightback.

It was a game played at a franetic pace from beginning to end, and it was Amadou Onana who got caught napping on the ball in the 15th minute when Dwight McNeill dispossessed the ex-Everton midfielder and Villa summer signing before carrying the ball to the edge of the Villa box and striking a precise low shot beyond Emi Martinez’s dive into the far corner of the net.

The goal came against the run of play as the home team were firmly on the front foot up until that point.

But 10 minutes later, McNeil was again the architect of the Villa faithful’s woes as the goal scorer turned goal provider with an in-swinging free-kick from the right that was met high in the air by the soaring Dominic Calvert-Lewin who deftly glanced his header past the hapless Martinez in the Villa goal.

Everton boss Dyche had remarked in the pre-match press conference that he rarely celebrates goals too much because he knows things can change very quickly, a la Everton’s match against Bournemouth last time out.

But even the most pessimistic of pessimists wouldn’t have thought lightening would strike twice in such a cruel way for the Everton boss.

But alas it did, and the winner came in a fashion that will probably make the result even harder to swallow for the Toffee fans as it was a strike that will be in the reckoning for goal of the season in nine months time.

It came courtesy of a John Duran thunderbolt following a sustained period of pressure and possession from the home team.

The Colombian striker, who was a 69th-minute substitute, exchanged quick passes with another ex-Evertonian and summer signing Ross Barkley around 25 yards out before unleashing a ferocious left footed shot high into the top corner of Jordan Pickford’s net, despite the England keeper’s best attempts to tip the ball around the post.

In all truth, Pickford got nowhere near it, not many keepers in world football would have.

Everton coach Dyche admitted seeing that fly in was a sickener.

“It’s a worldie, and when they happen in those circumstances against you, it hurts.”

The spectacular winner came after England striker Ollie Watkins had notched his first two goals of the season to draw the Birmingham club level.

His first goal was a far post header following a dinked cross from Lucas Digne.

The Villa striker’s second came inadvertently via a botched clearance from Jack Harrison whose attempt to cut out a through ball to substitute Ian Maatsen down the left flew across goal straight to a grateful unmarked Watkins eight yards out who was able to simply tap the ball past Pickford into the net.

Villa boss Emery was happy with his two strikers’ performance.

“Having two strikers in form is not a problem, its a really good solution” beamed the spaniard.

Emery went on to say “We want to play with structure, but we also need skilful players who can also do something special like Duran did today.”