Aston Villa lose ground in title race with defeat to Everton

Aston Villa missed the chance to close the gap to Arsenal and move second in the Premier League after suffering a 1-0 loss at home to Everton.

Thierno Barry scored the all-important goal just before the hour-mark, ending the hosts’ impressive 11-game winning streak at Villa Park in all competitions.

Merlin Rohl had struck a post 11 seconds after kick-off, while Jake O’Brien saw a 33rd-minute header disallowed for an offside against Harrison Armstrong in the build-up.

But Barry took full advantage after a Pau Torres error gifted Everton an opening, with the forward lifting a lovely finish over Emiliano Martinez.

Villa remain third in the table, level on points with Manchester City and seven behind leaders Arsenal, while Everton move up to 10th.

How the match unfolded

Straight from kick-off, Everton were on the attack, with Rohl’s low drive across goal rebounding off the foot of the left post and into the hands of a grateful Martinez.

The Toffees continued to threaten, with Martinez parrying Vitalii Mykolenko’s long-range effort out for a corner from which O’Brien nodded home, though the offside flag denied him as Armstrong had strayed past the last defender to interfere with play.

Villa finished the half on the front foot, though, with Morgan Rogers forcing Jordan Pickford into a sprawling save before Evann Guessand – on for the injured John McGinn – hit the crossbar with a looping header.

The hosts could not turn their early second-half pressure into a goal, though, and they were punished 59 minutes in as Torres’ mistake gifted Everton possession, with Barry chipping Martinez after pouncing upon the rebound of Dwight McNeil’s saved effort.

Villa upped the pressure, with Pickford making a spectacular save to tip Rogers’ curler away from the top-right corner before Emiliano Buendia glanced a header wide in the closing seconds, but their search for an equaliser was in vain.

Villa’s fortress breached

With the teams above them dropping points, Villa could not have hoped for a better chance to claw back at leaders Arsenal, given their impressive home form.

But they could not take advantage as their spectacular home winning run came to an end, even after navigating a tricky start.

Losing captain McGinn to an apparent knee injury in the 18th minute was a further blow, but Rogers’ influence grew as the game progressed, with his long-range effort forcing the best save out of Pickford in the first half.

Youri Tielemans nodded wide as Villa started the second half on the front foot, but they struggled to get striker Ollie Watkins involved, and as such, could not turn that pressure into a much-needed goal.

And it was sloppiness at the other end that ultimately cost them, with Torres failing to control a back pass, while Martinez could not hold McNeil’s shot, giving Ezri Konsa too much to do as he attempted to acrobatically clear Barry's follow-up off the line.

Villa have a knack for winning from losing positions, but their attack just would not click in a frustrating outing for Unai Emery’s side.

They are now back on the road for their next two matches, travelling to Fenerbahce in the UEFA Europa League before travelling to Newcastle United in the Premier League next Sunday.

Everton shut up shop

Everton were winless in three matches, but they had seemingly wiped their disappointing FA Cup penalty shootout loss to Sunderland from their minds, making a strong start.

The hosts did not initially know how to cope with Everton, who proved a constant threat down their left-hand side thanks to the returning Jack Grealish, who received a mixed reception from the fans of his boyhood club.

Their chalked-off opener came at a time when Villa had been growing into the match, and it took some time for Everton to regain their foothold, despite the best efforts of a spirited James Garner.

They got some good fortune when Torres’ loose touch teed up McNeil, but that should take nothing away from Barry’s fine finish as he continues to cement himself as Everton’s No 9.

With a lead in their grasp, David Moyes’ side switched to more defensive tactics, with the back four throwing their bodies on the line and affording Villa no space.

And when they were breached, they could rely on Pickford, who pulled off a top-drawer save to deny Rogers what had looked a sure equaliser.

Watch Pickford's incredible save

Now in the top half of the table, Everton face Leeds United at home next Monday.

Club reports

Aston Villa report | Everton report

What the managers said

Unai Emery: “Today we lost against one very good team. When we played in Everton in September, it was a very different moment than today, but today we lost and we must accept it and keep going.”

David Moyes: "It was a brilliant performance. With what we had coming here today, it looked a big challenge whether we could do it with the players we have out. That's not discrediting in any way the players who played, because they've done a great job."

Next PL fixtures

Key facts

Aston Villa suffered only a second defeat in their last 29 Premier League home games (W19 D8), with this loss ending an eight-match winning streak at Villa Park in the league since they lost 0-3 to Crystal Palace in August.

Only Arsenal (six) have won more away games in the Premier League this season than Everton (five). In fact, since Moyes’ first away league game back in charge of the club in January 2025, the Toffees’ 10 wins on the road in the Premier League is the joint-most of any side, along with the Gunners.

This is the seventh Premier League match in which Aston Villa failed to score this season, as many times as they drew a blank in the whole of 2024/25.

Everton enjoyed their first league win over Villa since March 2016, ending a 13-game winless run against the Villans in the Premier League (D4 L9).