THERE were few positives for either side as Everton and Aston Villa played out a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park on Thursday evening.

When Ezri Konsa turned home a Conor Hourihane cross with 20 minutes to go, Villa looked to be on their way to collecting the three points vital in their quest to avoid relegation.

Moments later, Dean Smith’s side appeared to have been let off the hook when Dominic Calvert-Lewin spurned Everton’s best chance of the game following a nice bit of play from Andre Gomes.

But Gomes returned, undeterred at seeing his creative work go to waste a first time. He sent a booming left-footed cross over to Theo Walcott who guided a header past Pepe Reina.

Goal threats had been sparse for both sides, and though Villa outshot Everton 15-9, the goals were the only shots on target during the game.

Everton’s biggest positive was the performance of centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite.

The Cumbrian made his debut against Wolves in the second half of Everton’s previous game, getting his chance by virtue of being the only central defender on the bench after Jerry Mina picked up an injury.

Having only turned 18 last month, the youngster, signed from Carlisle United in January, may not have expected to feature for his new club at least until next season. But another injury, this time to Mason Holgate, meant he was called on again.

This time he was able to settle in earlier, playing 74 minutes of the game against Villa, and he looked more than ready to step up.

“I am really happy with him,” manager Carlo Ancelotti told Everton TV after the game. “He is really young, a kid, but he showed quality, personality, and character.

“He is really calm with the ball, really comfortable, and really aggressive without the ball. He can be a fantastic player for us.”

A left-footer, Branthwaite offers good balance in an Everton squad otherwise full of right-footed centre-backs.

Given that Ancelotti’s side have nothing to play for this season, and there isn’t the added pressure of playing in front of packed stadiums, it would make sense to start the teenager in the remaining games.

“It’s happened much quicker than I thought it would,” Branthwaite told Everton TV of his progression to the first team.

“I was training hard with the under-23s and then, as the pandemic happened, I got the chance to be around the first team.

“I thought: I’ve just got to train hard every day and see where it takes us, and, thankfully, I’m out there playing.”

For Villa, it was a point gained, but they really needed three. They host Arsenal next, looking to cause an upset against a team challenging for a Europa League place, before travelling to West Ham for a potential relegation decider on the final day of the season.