Aston Villa vs Everton Recap: A Memorable Night at Villa Park

Mark Oldacres

After a stuttering start to their return to the Premier League, Aston Villa finally secured their first win of the season at the end of a breathless, exhilarating match against Everton on ‘Friday Night Football’.

The Headlines

A Big Night for Big Wes

Wesley provided the fireworks for Villa’s coming out party, registering his first goal in claret and blue as he produced an impressive, imposing performance. It became apparent early in the game that Everton were going to press Villa’s defence and make them go long, meaning Wesley had to prove he could contend with The Toffees talented centre-back pairing of Keane and Mina, and he delivered. The Brazilian completed 84% of his total passes and 100% of his backwards passes, as well as four successful dribbles from his five attempts, in a Man of the Match display. These numbers, together with the stat that the former Club Brugge striker only won one of his seven aerial duels, shows the importance of getting the ball to him on the ground; despite his size, he looks more comfortable with the ball at his feet rather than fighting for scraps. For his goal, Wesley made a darting run behind Everton’s back line which was as impressive as the cool, slotted finish that followed. Wes also showed that he has the mean streak required to ruffle defender’s feathers; exchanging words with Yerry Mina early in the game and later sticking up for Trezeguet after a clobbering from Seamus Coleman. If Friday night is a sign of things to come, Wesley has a bright future at Aston Villa.

Flying Freddie

Wesley wasn’t the only new boy to impress on Friday night, as Frederic Guilbert followed up on his excellent pre-season form with a stellar debut at Villa Park. I lobbied for Guilbert to be brought into the starting line-up in my last article, and he didn’t disappoint. The Frenchman was aggressive in defence and attack, with one of his trademark overlapping runs down the wing contributing to Villa’s opening goal, as he drew the attention away from Wesley as the striker burst into the penalty area. Defensively, Guilbert won 64% of his defensive duels, the most notable instance being his perfectly timed slide-tackle to snuff out an Everton attack. After being made to wait for his opportunity, Frederic Guilbert emphatically staked his claim for the starting spot at right-back, showing his Premier League pedigree and leaving Dean Smith no choice but to keep him in the line-up.

Doing the Dirty Work

As the half-time whistle blew at Villa Park, bringing an end to an opening 45 minutes which was played at break-neck speed, it dawned on me that Villa would have to maintain the exact same level of intensity from the first period, or the game could turn on its head very quickly. Dean Smith’s side did just that, as Villa put together their finest 90 minutes of the season. The stats will tell you that Grealish and McGinn were creatively less effective than against Bournemouth, but in terms of the work they put in for the team and therefore their impact on the result; it was the best showing I’ve seen from the midfield duo thus far. McGinn in particular was more influential defensively than at any other point this season, collecting three interceptions (he had none against Bournemouth) and six ball recoveries (two more than against Tottenham or Bournemouth), including three in the opposition’s half. Trezeguet essentially became a second full-back for most of the match to help thwart the threat of Seamus Coleman and had six interceptions. The centre back pairing of Mings and Engels were imperious once again, combining for 20 interceptions. Douglas Luiz was steady and understated; he won 70% of his total duels and 60% of his aerial duels, had ten interceptions, won nine out of ten defensive duels and made three clearances. It was like watching an episode of Love Island, there was so much grafting (I’m sorry). After moments of complacency cost them dearly against Tottenham and Bournemouth, Villa stepped up their game and produced a complete team performance.

Extra Time

• Anwar El Ghazi celebrating in front of the Holte End after sealing Villa’s victory was a wonderful sight; this is a man who broke the rules of Ramadan so he could be at his best for the Playoff Final. Anwar has been dedicated to the club since he joined on loan last season and it was great to see him rewarded with such a special moment.

• Neil Taylor continues to fight off Matt Targett as he keeps his place at left-back. Taylor won ten of his twelve duels against Everton including all eight of his defensive duels, keeping Richarlison quiet until he was eventually substituted. Taylor isn’t perfect; Everton’s best chances came when he lost track of Seamus Coleman and then Theo Walcott, but overall, his solid performances are making it difficult to drop him from the line-up.

• It would be remiss of me not to mention Jota, who had a strong first start at Villa Park. The diminutive Spaniard showed his calmness and his quality as he turned away from two Everton defenders on the edge of his own box in the early stages, before playing a well-weighted pass to provide Wesley with the opening goal. Jota has now been involved in 21 goals in 32 appearances under Dean Smith.

• It’s not an exaggeration to say that Villa wouldn’t have won on Friday without the fantastic support of the fans. The atmosphere prior to kick off, after Wesley opened the scoring and in the final minutes of the game was something I’ve experienced far too infrequently since the days of Martin O’Neill and Europa League nights. I was particularly pleased to hear no nerve-induced moans and groans as Dean Smith’s side held on (before El Ghazi settled the game), only the regular chants of “Allez, Allez, Allez!”. If such an environment can be created every game, no visiting side will feel comfortable at B6.

All stats from Wyscout.com