Aston Villa player ratings vs Everton: 'Outrageous' 9/10, clinical 8/10 and several 7s

Unai Emery’s side, guilty of lapses of concentration, went 2-0 down in the opening 30 minutes but fought back to seal a famous turnaround under the lights at Villa Park. Ollie Watkins scored his first two goals of the season to end his short drought but Duran rightfully steals the headlines with his ludicrous winning strike.

It wasn’t always fun and games for the hosts, though, as Everton took a surprise 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. Dwight McNeil dispossessed former teammate Amadou Onana and struck beautifully into the far bottom corner. There were calls for a foul on Onana but the midfielder - rather uncharacteristically - wasn’t physical enough against McNeil. The goalscorer still had it all to do as he skipped past Konsa and Tielemans before finishing expertly.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin then silenced Villa Park by doubling the Toffees’ advantage, glancing a header into the bottom corner from a wide McNeil free-kick. There were suspicions of offside in real time but a VAR check confirmed Youri Tielemans’ trailing leg very much played Calvert-Lewin on, allowing the striker a clear route to goal.

Villa responded well to going two down and reduced the deficit in the 36th minute through Watkins. The England international scored his long-overdue first goal of the campaign by climbing highest at the far post to head in a dinked Lucas Digne cross. The goal had been coming as Watkins and Morgan Rogers had several half chances in the lead-up.

Emery turned to the bench at half-time, taking off Onana for the experienced Ross Barkley. The hosts dominated possession at the start of the second period and opportunities steadily racked up, before Watkins scored his second of the evening to bring Villa level. Tielemans’ attempted pass to Digne was scuffed straight into Watkins’ path by Toffees winger Jack Harrison and it was a relatively easy finish beyond Pickford for 2-2.

Villa, buoyant after their equaliser, piled the pressure on the visitors. Watkins went agonisingly close to completing his hat-trick but couldn’t quite reach a squared Rogers pass. He then shot narrowly wide from an Ian Maatsen cross 10 minutes later, missing the target by merely inches.

What then followed absolutely roared Villa Park into life as Duran, just minutes after emerging from the bench, struck a goal of the season contender from at least 30 yards. Martinez’s total jaw-drop expression from the opposite end of the field told the story; Duran had no right to score from such a distance but the outside of his left foot had other ideas, swerving the ball into the top left corner and giving Pickford no chance.

Everton were denied an instant response as Calvert-Lewin shrugged off Pau Torres and thundered the ball off the crossbar, prompting a few missed heartbeats for the home crowd. Villa took that moment as a wake-up call and soon calmed the tension as Emery’s men regained control of possession and worked hard to hold onto the win. Villa move into the Champions League spots, three points behind faultless leaders Manchester City.

Aston Villa player ratings vs Everton

Here’s how BirminghamWorld reporter Charlie Haffenden rated the Villa players out of 10 in the 3-2 win over Everton.

Emiliano Martinez - 6

Could’ve done better for McNeil’s goal as he made a wrong step and then couldn’t dive quickly enough to his left. A little harsh, perhaps, but the bar is so high for Martinez and he fell below it a touch there. Improved in the second period as he looked far more composed. Booked for delaying an Everton counter.

Lamare Bogarde - 7

Struggled a little to deal with Ndiaye’s skill and agility but made several crucial intereceptions and clearances. Played one terrific through ball to Rogers, who nearly scored.

Ezri Konsa - 6

Perhaps picked the wrong pass in the lead-up to Everton’s opener, putting Onana under unnecessary pressure. Made a great last-ditch intervention away from Calvert-Lewin in the second period, though.

Pau Torres - 6

Made three or four really poor passes out from the back but occasionally picked out a beauty between the lines. Lacked positional awareness for Calvert-Lewin’s header.

Lucas Digne - 7 (off 69’)

Assisted Villa’s first goal by teeing up Watkins brilliantly. Made so many excellent runs in behind Ashley Young but was often ignored by his teammates. 

Amadou Onana - 5 (off at HT)

Dispossessed too easily ahead of McNeil’s goal and wasn’t quite himself in the challenge afterward, barring a couple of decent tackles. Nowhere near Calvert-Lewin for the striker’s goal, despite being one of those responsible for picking up the run. Taken off at half time.

Youri Tielemans - 7

Had another decent game, winning back possession often and creating several chances for the likes of Rogers and Watkins.

John McGinn - 7 (off 90’)

Did the dirty work as he battled hard throughout. Made some clever passes in between the lines to advance attacks.

Jacob Ramsey - 6 (off 69’)

Linked up well with Digne on the left and won a couple of fouls in advanced areas. Didn’t have his shooting boots on when he had two half chances, though.

Morgan Rogers - 7

Did well to create space for shooting opportunities but kept firing straight at Pickford, three times all in all. Nearly notched an assist when he squared the ball to Watkins but the pass was a little misweighted. Regularly lifted fans off their seats with clever footwork.

Ollie Watkins - 8 (off 84’)

Scored his first goal of the season with a good header to convert from a Digne cross. Then got his brace when in the right place at the right time to finish easily beyond Pickford. Simply had to complete his hat-trick, though, as he shot narrowly wide with 20 minutes to go.

Subs:

Ross Barkley - 7 (on at HT)

Helped Villa dictate possession for much of the second half but was sometimes a little too slow to pick out the killer pass. Got the assist for Duran’s stunner, not that he can take much credit for it!

Jhon Duran - 9 (on 69’)

Duran, wow. The Colombian scored an early goal of the season contender from around 30 yards. What an outrageous strike, and one that will leave many lost for words for a long time. Nearly scored another with a bicycle attempt and acted as an effective target man.

Ian Maatsen - 7 (on 69’)

Took over Digne’s role well, providing advanced width on the left flank.