Moyes Delighted as Superb Everton dent Villa’s title charge

Aston Villa’s Premier League title challenge faltered significantly on Sunday as Everton beat Aston Villa 1-0 to end the hosts’ formidable winning streak.

Unai Emery’s side had won 11 consecutive league matches at Villa Park prior to this encounter. However, they produced a lacklustre performance against David Moyes’ disciplined visitors. Thierno Barry scored the decisive goal in the second half, securing a result that leaves Villa seven points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.

Everton make a blistering start

Everton signalled their intent immediately and almost took the lead within 11 seconds. Merlin Rohl broke onto a long clearance and struck the post with a low effort, nearly stunning the home crowd.

Villa struggled to cope with Everton’s physical intensity throughout the opening exchanges. The visitors thought they had taken the lead when Jake O’Brien headed home from a corner. However, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened, ruling that Harrison Armstrong was offside during the build-up.

Compounding Villa’s frustration, captain John McGinn suffered a knee injury early on. His replacement, Evann Guessand, later headed against the crossbar, but clear opportunities remained scarce for the home side.

Barry punishes defensive error

The deadlock was finally broken after 59 minutes following a rare mistake by Emiliano Martinez. The Villa goalkeeper parried a Dwight McNeil shot carelessly into the danger zone.

Barry reacted quickest to the loose ball. He showed immense composure to lift a delicate finish over the stranded keeper for his third goal in four games.

Villa run out of ideas

Inevitably, Villa pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages. Morgan Rogers forced a spectacular flying save from England teammate Jordan Pickford.

Despite that moment of quality, Emery cut an agitated figure on the touchline as his team failed to break down Everton’s resilience. The defeat leaves Villa in third place, while Everton celebrated a victory that moves them further away from the relegation zone.