Aston Villa's impressive home fortress was finally breached on Saturday evening, as a solitary goal from Everton's Thierno Barry handed Unai Emery's side their first Premier League defeat at Villa Park since August. The 1-0 loss also squandered a golden opportunity for Villa to climb into second place in the table.
Match Breakdown: Chances Missed and Injury Blow
The match began in astonishing fashion, with Everton's Merlin Rohl striking the post within the first 10 seconds – the quickest a side has hit the woodwork in the Premier League since the 2006-07 season. Villa responded, with Morgan Rogers blazing over from a good early chance created by Emi Buendia.
The home side's momentum suffered a significant setback when captain John McGinn was forced off with a suspected knee injury after just 18 minutes. His replacement, Evann Guessand, came close to breaking the deadlock before half-time, but his looping header struck the crossbar.
Everton thought they had taken the lead from a corner, but a header from Jake O'Brien was ruled out due to Harrison Armstrong being offside and interfering with play. Villa ended the first half strongly, but could not find a way past Jordan Pickford.
Everton's Decisive Moment and Villa's Frustration
The decisive moment arrived just before the hour mark. Pau Torres lost possession on the edge of his own box, allowing Dwight McNeil to shoot. Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez could only parry the effort, and Thierno Barry was alert to clip the rebound over the stranded Argentine to make it 1-0.
Villa struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in response, with Ollie Watkins largely kept quiet by a resolute Everton defence. The visitors could have been down to ten men when the already-booked James Garner appeared to push Rogers over, but referee Tony Harrington allowed play to continue.
The defeat ends Villa's remarkable 11-match winning run at home in the league and leaves Emery with mounting injury concerns ahead of a crucial Europa League trip to Fenerbahce and a Premier League visit to Newcastle United.
Aston Villa Player Ratings Analysis
Emi Martinez (5): Made a good save from Mykolenko but will be disappointed not to have held McNeil's shot for the goal.
Matty Cash (6): Defended solidly against Jack Grealish and provided some attacking width.
Ezri Konsa (6): A reliable defensive performance, winning his duels and distributing the ball well.
Pau Torres (4): A difficult night. Was involved in the early scare and his error directly led to Everton's winner.
Ian Maatsen (6): Lively down the left, created a good chance for Rogers which was blocked.
Lamare Bogarde (6): Showed promise in midfield with his energy and physicality before being substituted.
Youri Tielemans (7): Villa's most creative spark, delivering excellent passes to create two big chances for Guessand.
John McGinn (N/A): Forced off early with a knee injury, a major blow for the team.
Morgan Rogers (7): Villa's most threatening attacker, denied by a block and involved in most positive moves.
Emi Buendia (5): Made one good chance but faded as the game progressed and decision-making was sometimes off.
Ollie Watkins (5): A quiet evening by his high standards, starved of meaningful service.
Substitutes: Evann Guessand (5), Lucas Digne (6), George Hemmings (6).
