This was an ugly and exhausting football game, a football game that didn’t deserve a winner and never looked like getting one. Not a lack of effort, but a terrible lack of quality. Time to move on to the next one.
As for the result, neither team will be particularly upset. Unai Emery’s Villa will have to show some of this stubbornness if they want to win a place in the Champions League. This was, rather strangely, the first 0-0 that Villa’s Spanish mastermind had ever overseen in the Premier League, a statistic that spanned 97 games in charge of his current club and, of course, Arsenal.
Everton, meanwhile, had lost their last three Premier League games. Progress under Sean Dyche had stalled somewhat under the weight of defeats to Tottenham, Manchester City and Wolves, and as such this draw marked an improvement. Sometimes in football that’s all that matters.
Emery’s Villa is a good side. They come to life when they reach the last 30 meters of the field. Players like Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz and the excellent Boubacar Kamara are exceptional footballers, so keeping them out for 100 minutes – as was the case here – is an achievement in itself. Dyche, a former central defender, will see the value in that.
In terms of significant action, Villa had a goal disallowed in the 18th minute after Alex Moreno fired a low shot towards Gladwys Street End after working from a short corner. That was by some distance the talking point of the match.
The first 0-0 stalemate of Unai Emery’s Premier League career came on Sunday, as his Aston Villa side were frustrated at Goodison Park in a game that will not live long in the memory.
Villa defender Alex Moreno appeared to have given the visitors the lead with his goal from the edge of the penalty area, but it was later ruled out by VAR for offside in the build-up.
The lengthy VAR check ultimately ruled out the goal, with Leon Bailey offside in the build-up
Bailey was a toe ahead of the last Everton defender when Villa moved the ball back and around the top of the penalty area and, after the longest of VAR delays, the effort was disallowed.
It has to be said that it was all a bit confusing, a fact highlighted by the fact that Stockley Park took a good five minutes to reach a decision. What was clear is that it was all too much for both groups of supporters who joined forces in song to express the unanimous view that the novelty of VAR has long since worn off. Point noted.
Apart from that, Villa’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a great double save just before half-time to deny Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Garner. This was another discouraging afternoon for Calvert-Lewin, who has not scored in the league since the autumn and, with the European Championships on the horizon this summer, has lost his form at exactly the wrong time.
Despite all this, Everton is hardly recognizable from last season’s team. The impact of Dyche’s work is evident in virtually everything this Everton team does. They are organized, committed and willing to help players move forward when necessary. They would have lost this match last season and that says a lot.
In the beginning they were actually the better side. Jack Harrison provided width on the right and Abdoulaye Doucoure showed familiar strength and intelligence in the central areas. However, Doucoure’s influence would not last long. He was often involved. He covers enormous amounts of ground. But too often he found himself in runaway truck mode here, and too rarely did he manage to locate the brakes.
Everton pushed their opponents back for a while, but all they had to show for it was a misshot from the ultimately terrible Arnaut Danjuma and a Garner free-kick into the Villa wall.
Goodison Park was lively and optimistic for a while, but when Villa arrived about 20 minutes into the match they carried a bigger threat.
Ollie Watkins, an improved footballer, worked Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from a corner in the 14th minute. Then, following the disqualification of the Moreno goal, Luiz Watkins played in down the right for a shot that rolled ominously across the goal. When it was recycled, Luiz was again involved in setting up Bailey courtesy of a John McGinn doll. Pickford saved again at his near post.
Villa were now the dominant force but were almost undone as half-time approached. They fell short and when Calvert-Lewin rode clear he was denied by Martinez’s right foot. The danger did not immediately go away for Villa and when Garner fired low for the first time inside 20 seconds, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper produced an even better save, dropping sharply to his left to guide the ball past the post with both hands. He can be a bit of a clown, Martinez. Some of his gamesmanship and game acting can be hard to swallow. But he is a very good goalkeeper and that is why his team was on level terms at half time.
The Argentinian was not overworked in the second period, and neither was Pickford. The match had hardly flowed in the first 45 minutes, but from then on there was even less rhythm.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a golden opportunity to put his team ahead but could not guide his shot past Emiliano Martinez, whose outstretched leg denied Everton the best chance of the match
The match had a lengthy stoppage after Vitaly Mykolenko and James Tarkowski collided
The clash developed into a fiery affair as frustrations on both sides boiled over on the pitch
In a Terry Butcher-esque connection, Vitaly Mykolenko (above) provided several crucial challenges in the closing stages, earning Sean Dyche’s side an important clean sheet
McGinn took regular aim from the edge of the box on the hour mark before planting a shot some 30 yards wide of Pickford’s right post. At the other end, Danjuma shot tamely wide on the hour and that was more or less his last contribution. Danjuma was not a regular option when he was on loan from Villarreal and the week his agent spoke on the radio about a move to Lyon. On this evidence the winger would not be missed.
There was also a late scramble in Everton’s penalty area, where a tackle from Vitali Mykolenko and a block from Seamus Coleman were equally important before Villa substitute Jhon Duran poked a near-post effort over goal and wide. That was close.
At the other end, Doucoure meanwhile drove freely down the left to hit the ball past Martinez, but was withdrawn for offside. This time the offense was crystal clear.
