After suffering a devastating defeat in their opening match against Newcastle, Aston Villa, inspired by the impressive performance of Leon Bailey, made a remarkable comeback as they triumphed over Everton with a resounding 4-0 victory. Unfortunately for Everton, their star player Dominic Calvert-Lewin was forced off the field once again due to injury, adding to their woes.
Aston Villa took control of the game right from the start, delivering a dominant first-half performance. It took them only 18 minutes to break the deadlock, as Bailey’s well-executed pull-back found John McGinn, who coolly converted from close range.
The situation worsened for Everton when Jordan Pickford clumsily fouled Ollie Watkins in the penalty area, granting Villa the opportunity to extend their lead. Douglas Luiz stepped up to take the penalty, replacing Watkins, and confidently buried the ball into the back of the net, scoring his first spot kick for the club.
Everton’s hopes of a comeback were shattered when Calvert-Lewin, making his eagerly awaited return from injury, was unable to continue after suffering a blow to the face earlier in the game.
Leon Bailey Shines at Aston Villa
Villa capitalized on Everton’s misfortune as Bailey, who had been providing assists, turned into a goal scorer. Taking advantage of a defensive blunder by Michael Keane, Bailey found the back of the net six minutes into the second half.
The hosts’ fourth goal was a result of Everton’s abysmal defending, with Ashley Young’s woeful throw-in serving as the perfect pass for substitute Jhon Duran, who scored his first Villa goal just 47 seconds after stepping onto the pitch.
The humiliating defeat left Everton in a state of despair, with Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe expressing his disbelief at their performance. As a consequence, Everton found themselves at the bottom of the Premier League table for the first time since October 2010.
When and where will Aston Villa be playing their first leg match against Hibernian in the Europa Conference League qualifying play-off round?
Aston Villa’s next challenge awaits them in the first leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying play-off round tie against Hibernian, which will be played away on Wednesday with a kick-off time of 5.45 pm.
Aston Villa fixtures
- Following that, they will face Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday at 2 pm.
- Meanwhile, Everton’s upcoming match is against Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday with a kick-off time of 3 pm.
- Subsequently, they will travel to Doncaster for the Carabao Cup clash on Wednesday, August 30, with kick-off set for 8 pm.
