Aston Villa has taken its first win of the new calendar year. Manager Steven Gerrard’s team triumphed 0-1 over Everton on Saturday, marking the first win since the three-pointer at Norwich City (0-2) on December 14. Since then grabbed the Villans a point from three league matches, two games were postponed and Manchester United was a size too big in the FA Cup. Everton, without Anwar El Ghazi on loan from Aston Villa, will start the era with Duncan Ferguson as interim manager with a defeat.
The first half seemed to end goalless, but in extra time Gerrard’s team got the deserved lead. After a corner from former Evertonian Lucas Digne from the right, Emiliano Buendia headed the ball back into the far corner behind Jordan Pickford: 0-1. The visitors’ delight at the corner flag was not appreciated: both Digne and Matty Cash were hit by a full plastic drinking bottle. Both players were able to continue the game.
Emiliano Buendia does it! ?? The last chance of the first half is beautifully worked in and Aston Villa takes the lead ??#ZiggoSport #EVEAVL #Buendia pic.twitter.com/Ks5iV9WImJ
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) January 22, 2022
Everton, who parted ways with Rafael Benitez, admittedly showed a lot of effort and fought for every ball, as would be expected under Ferguson, but lacked creativity in the final meters. The home side didn’t even get a shot on target in the first 45 minutes. Gerrard, in turn, could be pleased with his team’s performance and not just because of the late goal: Aston Villa set the pace of the game for much of the first half.
After an hour of play, with Allan and Anthony Gordon now in the squad, Everton started to become more dangerous and Tyrone Mings prevented the 1-1 on the goal line. Attempts by Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina also failed. Everton tried everything, but failed to score despite a 15-8 opportunity ratio. However, only one went on Emiliano Martínez’s goal. Everton remain sixteenth, five points above the relegation zone. Aston Villa is now in tenth place.
| No. | Team | m | W | G | V | +/- | Pnt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 56 |
| 2 | Liverpool | 21 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 45 |
| 3 | Chelsea | 23 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 44 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 37 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 36 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 35 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 35 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton W. | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 31 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 21 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 29 |
| 10 | Aston Villa | 21 | 8 | 2 | 11 | -4 | 26 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | -3 | 25 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 21 | 5 | 9 | 7 | -1 | 24 |
| 13 | Southampton | 21 | 5 | 9 | 7 | -8 | 24 |
| 14 | Brentford | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | -11 | 23 |
| 15 | Leeds United | 20 | 5 | 7 | 8 | -15 | 22 |
| 16 | Everton | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | -11 | 19 |
| 17 | Norwich City | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | -32 | 16 |
| 18 | Watford | 20 | 4 | 2 | 14 | -17 | 14 |
| 19 | Newcastle United | 20 | 1 | 9 | 10 | -23 | 12 |
| 20 | Burnley | 17 | 1 | 8 | 8 | -11 | 11 |