Everton 0-0 Aston Villa: Final | Blues grit out a point

Fulltime Thoughts – A strong defensive effort has seen the Blues get a point, a result many of us would likely have taken before the game.

90+8’ – There’s the final whistle, Everton nil, Aston Villa nil.

90+7’ – The Blue move the ball around, Onana’s cross is too deep and Martinez sets Villa off on a counter. Duran goes down, no foul and again Everton can attack. Garner’s cross from the left is cut out, ball ends up at Onana’s feet and he tries an ill-advised shot, well over and that should be the game.

90+5’ – McNeil changes field and finds Harrison in all kinds of space on the right, he plays a quick outside-of-foot cross into the box that Konsa cuts out very well.
Now Myko blocks a cross from Zaniolo and gives away a corner. But Watkins and Tarky tangle, and now Coote says it’s a foul by the Villa player and a freekick, Everton survive.

90+3’ – Everton have pushed Villa all the way back, and neither side is willing to commit too much this late on.
Villa chance again as Moreno has plenty of time to cross and Duran gets a head to it, but its going wide.

90’ – We’re going to have seven minutes or so added on.

88’ – Brilliant from Villa again frankly as Watkins comes back into space, he finds Cash in acres of space to cross, Duran gets a touch on it and the ball flashes across the face of goal.
Now Doucoure is in behind the backline! Motors down the left and hammers his shot into the back of the net, but just offside, argh. He can certainly finish, no DCL-like issues here.

86’ – Pandemonium in the Everton six yard box and somehow the ball stays out! Multiple Villa players had shooting opportunities with Pickford off his line and trying to hunt the ball as it pinged about but some heroic blocking and clearing saves the day.

80’ – Villa have Everton hemmed in their own half, and often in and around their own area.
Onana finds Doucs on an early run, he has very little support, tries to shoot and Konsa blocks it.
Onana and Luiz grapple, the Everton midfielder is giving as good as he’s gotten today.

77’ – Coleman caught pinching in and Moreno is in space, his cross results in some head tennis before Pickford takes it.

75’ – How many Villa fouls does it take for Coote to give a foul? Two is the number apparently as Tielemans first pulls down Garner and then barges into Coleman, and is booked for his troubles, having barely come on.

70’ – Onana took a hit in the family jewels, hobbling around uncomfortably.
Pickford will hoof the ball in from the half line. Tarkowksi shielding the ball and he’s fighting off a grappling attempt, Moreno nicks in and steals the ball with the ref refusing to blow. Tarky decides to enforce his own discipline and slides in hard on the left back, clearing the ball and the man off the hallowed Goodison turf.
Luiz unhappy with Tarky’s reaction and all sorts of pushing and shoving going on here, Coote decides to book Tarky and Lenglet, and still Onana and Coleman are going at the Villa players crowding them. Comical this at times. Villa make another change, bringing on Matty Cash for Diego Carlos.

66’ – The Villa subs immediately combine and Duran in a crossing position but tries to shoot and it’s way off.
McNeil has a chance to break and cross, his delivery is.. well, let’s just say he needed that one to warm up his left leg.

63’ – Corner for the visitors, taken short, it’s worked to Diaby and his shot is harmless, goes to Pickford. Changes abound now, two for each side.
Beto replaces Calvert-Lewin (13 games without a goal), and miracle of miracles Dwight McNeil is fit enough to play and will replace Danjuma.
Duran and Tielemans on for Villa with Diaby and Bailey off.

60’ – Villa threaten again, Watkins beats both Garner and Branthwaite. Bailey finds Diaby with a cutback, he evades Myko who gets a touch on him before Tarky hammers into him and clears the ball.
Now a ball bounces to Danjuma and he can’t make proper contact and the ball bounces harmlessly wide of the far post.

58’ – Villa break at pace, Branthwaite recovers well to block off Diaby, he finds Watkins whose shot is blocked by Garner racing back, corner.
Now Everton can counter at pace, Villa put the ball out for a throw to recover. Coleman cross into the box, cleared to Onana who can’t control the ball.

56’ – Diaby barges into Garner, foul. Garner plays it to Harrison who tries to dink it into the box but it’s too close to Martinez.

54’ – Applause for Myko as he’s back on with a big bandage around his head. Everton holding the ball on the right touchline, but can’t make it count.

50’ – Aerial down the Everton left and four players are down a pair from each team. Tarky’s head looked to have connected the side of Myko’s head, and the Ukrainian international is still down while everyone else has gotten back up. Looks like a big cut just above the eyebrow, blood everywhere. He’s getting bandaged up now.

48’ – Diego Carlos booked for throwing the ball away as Everton were looking to break.
Meanwhile Luiz fouls Onana, his fifth or sixth infraction today but still no sign of a booking.

46’ – Second half underway, and Villa are straight into the attack down Everton’s right again.

Halftime Thoughts – The Blues have defended well, Coleman might need some help on his side though. Everton have created chances too, but need to finish better. Where have he heard that before?

45+7’ – Tarky loses the ball and it allows Bailey to charge in on goal but Pickers is out quick and collects.

45+6’ – Everton look to break on the right but DCL has fouled Lenglet. The Blues are certainly finding players in the half spaces, it’s only worked out about once or twice so far, but they need better finishing.

45+3’ – Deep cross finds Myko unmarked for the first time behind the backline, but he’s well offside.
Now Coleman gives away a freekick after he brings down Moreno going around him. Luiz to take the freekick.

45’ – Martinez shows why he is the World Cup winning goalie. DCL played into space, one-on-one against the goalie, and he fails to beat him, poor finish really as the goalie sticks out a foot to save. The rebound comes out to Garner who shoots from distance, and again Emi reaches out and makes a brilliant save pushing the ball around the post for a corner.
Eight minutes to be added on here. First corner cleared for another, this one is confidently cleared and again Goodison gets loud.

42’ – More time to be added on here as Moreno takes a ball off the face and it leads to a nosebleed.
Now Garner hoofs a clearance in midfield and it catches Onana straight in the midriff and the big midfielder sits down to catch his breath.

35’ – More pressure from Everton and it gets a rise out of the Goodison crowd. Now Garner catches Luiz in possession and sets off on a counter, ball to Danjuma and he takes a shot, blocked for a corner on the left.
Corner into the box, argy-bargy and DCL gets tugged down by Luiz, an Everton header sees the ball go wide for a goalkick. VAR reviews it and decides there’s nothing in it. There is going to be a lot of time added on here in the first half.

33’- Tarky getting some assistance after Watkins elbows him in the head going up for an aerial ball. The Villa striker has been booked.

28’ – Trouble there. Watkins does well to hold off Tarkowski and he tries to go for the far post, the ball looks more like a cross as it bobbles across the face of the goals. Diaby plays it back into the danger area and Bailey has a shot at the near post that Pickford beats away.
Everton try to break and Doucs inexplicably plays the ball right back into the danger area where Villa can again threaten, but the Blues eventually clear, whew.

25’ – Good possession but Harrison’s pass is not good enough to find DCL running in behind.
66% possession for the visitors who are growing into the game, it was all Everton early on.

24’ – Excellent diagonal from Bailey finds Moreno screaming down their left, and he wins a corner off Coleman. Taken short again, looped into the box and it bounces around before the Blues can clear.

22’ – Everton go the other way and now Doucs is offside.

18’ – Villa corner to Pickford’s right. Taken short, played back, Everton want an offside, it comes to Moreno outside the box and he hammers a shot to the low corner, Pickford no chance and it’s 1-0 to the visitors. What a shot.
Maybe no offside, has Danjuma played Bailey onside? But the Everton player was only down because Lenglet was dragging him back! Foul or offside, either way this goal should not stand.
Sanity has prevailed, no goal! Looks like the call was offside.

16’ – Everton’s discipline and shape has been pretty good until there. A nicely worked move sees a Villa man free on the Everton right but his cross is cleared well.
Now Doucs and Garner steal the ball in the middle, worked to Onana who plays a perfect pass to DCL to spring him, only it’s horribly overhit.

13’ – Watkins shot from a tight angle that Pickford is equal to.

11’ – Danjuma in acres of space down the left from a Branth ball, his cross is dangerous but not near any Everton shirts.

8’ – McGinn on late on Doucs, stamps on his foot after the ball was gone. Everton freekick right in front of the two managers. Ball floats towards the area, and Luiz hauls back Branthwaite by the shirt and it’s a freekick on the edge of the box! Can’t believe any ref would give us that one, lol.
Garner, Harrison and Danjuma all standing over it. Garner’s shot blocked by the wall, the chance goes begging.

6’ – Crunching tackle by Onana on Martinez. A poor pass out from the goalie to Luiz, ball back to him is loose and both Onana and Emi go sliding in for it, a foul is given for the challenge by the Everton midfielder. That press is looking good as Villa try to play out.

5’ – Deep cross, Danjuma shot blocked! He tries a pass into the box, cut out, Mykolenko tries a first time shot and it goes wild.

4’ – Harrison’s work on the right wins him a fortunate corner. He takes it himself, Martinez takes it confidently.

2’ – Garner caught in midfield, freekick. Pickford lofts it into the box, Tarkowski barged over! Offside flag is up however.

1’ – Underway at Goodison Park!

Everton – Doucoure back in the XI, McNeil on the bench remarkably

Aston Villa – formidable side again for Unai Emery.

Everton play their first Premier League game of the year, and it’ll be against the team sitting in third place in the league table, Aston Villa. The Blues currently are level on points with 18th placed Luton Town, with the newly promoted outfit yet to replay their game against Brighton which could see them hop ahead of the Blues.

Villa have been one of the form teams this season but have struggled relatively with some injuries in recent weeks, and this is as good a chance as Sean Dyche will get to break the run of three straight defeats the Blues have suffered.

Competition: Premier League Matchweek 21

Date and start time: Sunday, January 14th at 6:00 a.m. PT / 9:00 a.m ET / 2:00 p.m. BST

Stadium: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Capacity: 39,572

Weather: 39°F/4°C, partly cloudy, 0% chance of precipitation, 16 mph winds

TV: USA Network, Universo, Peacock – United States; Sky Sports Premier League, Sky SPorts Main Event – United Kingdom; Fubo – Canada, beIN Sports Premium 1, SuperSport Premier League ROA, SuperSport MaXimo 2, Star Sports Select 1

Radio: evertontv, TalkSport Radio UK, BBC Radio 5 Live, SiriusXM FC

Live stream: Fubo, nbcsports.com, Sky GO Extra, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo Now, ESPN Play Sur, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, DStv Now, RUSH, Hotstar VIP, JioTV

Gamethread: The live blog will commence an hour before kickoff with the lineup announcements.

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Information from LiveSoccerTV.com

Villa have ruled the roost over the Toffees since coming back to the top flight, and are unbeaten against the Blues in nine league games now, winning seven of those. The Clarets had soundly beaten Everton at Villa Park earlier in the season, romping to a 4-0 win.

Everton did beat Villa away in the League Cup Third Round, so hopefully they carry some of that mojo into this clash.