Ugly draw gets Dyche back on track
Everton dig in for valuable point in Villa’s first stalemate under Emery
THIS was an ugly and attritional game of football, one that didn’t deserve a winner and never looked like getting one. No shortage of effort but an awful dearth of quality. Time to move on to the next one.
In terms of the result, neither team will be particularly upset. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa will need to show a little of this stubbornness if they are to win a Champions League berth. This, rather strangely, was the first 0-0 Villa’s Spanish mastermind had ever overseen in the Premier League, a statistic covering 97 games in charge of his current club and, of course, Arsenal.
Everton, meanwhile, had lost their last three Premier League games and, as such, can once again be considered to be among the group threatened by relegation.
Progress under Sean Dyche had stalled a little under the weight of defeats by Tottenham, Manchester City and Wolves, and Everton no longer carry that 10-point Premier League deduction as lightly as they once did. So this draw represented improvement. Sometimes in football that is all that matters.
Emery’s Villa are a good side. They come alive when they reach the final third. Leon Bailey, Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara are exceptional footballers so keeping them out for 100 minutes — as it was here — is an achievement in itself.
Dyche, a former central defender, will see the value in that. In terms of significant action, Villa did have a goal ruled out in the 18th minute after Alex Moreno drove a low shot in at the Gwladys Street End after the working of a short corner. That was the talking point of the game by some distance.
Bailey was a toe-end ahead of the last Everton defender as Villa moved the ball back and around the top of the penalty area and he cut back to Moreno. After the longest of VAR delays, where they also appeared to be checking whether Villa’s Clement Lenglet was blocking goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s line of vision, the attempt was chalked off.
It was all a little confusing, a feeling reinforced by the fact it took Stockley Park the best part of five minutes to reach a decision. What was clear is that it was all too much for both sets of supporters, who joined forces in song to voice the unanimous view that the novelty of VAR has long since worn off. Point noted.
That apart, Villa’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez produced a terrific double save to deny Dominic CalvertLewin and James Garner just before half-time. This was another dispiriting afternoon for Calvert-Lewin, who hasn’t scored since autumn in the league and, with the Euros on the horizon this summer, has lost his form at precisely the wrong time.
For all of this, Everton are barely recognisable from the team of last season. The impact of Dyche’s work is clear in just about everything they
do. They are organised, committed and willing to push players forward when necessary. Last season they would have lost this game.
Early on they were actually the better side. Jack Harrison provided width down the right and Abdoulaye Doucoure exhibited familiar power and intelligence in central areas. Doucoure’s influence was not to last, however. He was often involved. He covers enormous amounts of ground. But too often here he was in runaway truck mode and too infrequently did he manage to locate the brakes.
Everton pushed their opponents back for a while but all they had to show for it was a mis-hit shot by the ultimately dreadful Arnaut Danjuma and a Garner free-kick into the Villa wall. Goodison Park was alive and
optimistic for a while but once Villa arrived in the game after about 20 minutes, they carried the greater threat.
Ollie Watkins worked Pickford from a tight angle in the 14th minute. Then, after the disqualification of the Moreno goal, Luiz played Watkins in down the right for a shot that rolled ominously across goal. When it was recycled, Luiz was involved again to set up Bailey courtesy of a John McGinn dummy. Pickford saved once again at his near post.
Villa were the dominant force by now but were almost undone as half-time neared. They were caught short of numbers and when Calvert-Lewin raced clear he was denied by the right foot of Martinez. The danger did not immediately pass for Villa and when Garner shot low firsttime within 20 seconds, the World Cup-winning goalkeeper produced an even better save, dropping sharply to his left to divert the ball past the post with both hands. He can be a bit of clown, Martinez. Some of his gamesmanship and play-acting can be hard to stomach. But he’s a very good goalkeeper and it is because of that his team were level at half-time. The Argentine was not overemployed in the second period and neither was Pickford. The game had hardly been free flowing in the opening 45 minutes but from that point on there was even less rhythm to it. McGinn took aim from the edge of the area on the hour before planting a shot a foot wide of Pickford’s right-hand post. At the other end, Danjuma shot tamely wide and that was pretty much his last contribution. Danjuma has not been a regular starter while on loan from Villarreal and last week his agent had been on the radio talking up a move to Lyon. On this evidence, the winger would not be missed.
Beyond all that there was a late scramble in the Everton box where a Vitalii Mykolenko tackle and Seamus Coleman block were equally important before Villa substitute Jhon Duran poked a near-post effort across goal and wide. That was close.
At the other end, meanwhile, Doucoure powered clear down the left to smash the ball past Martinez only to be hauled back for offside. This time the infringement was crystal clear to everyone. EVERTON (4-2-3-1): Pickford 6; Coleman 6.5, Tarkowski 6, Branthwaite 6.5, Mykolenko 6; Onana 6, Garner 6.5; Danjuma 5 (McNeil 63min, 6), Doucoure 5.5, Harrison 6.5; Calvert-Lewin 5 (Beto 63, 6). Booked: Tarkowski. Manager: Sean Dyche 6. ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Martinez 7; Konsa 6, Carlos 6 (Cash 74, 6), Lenglet 6.5, Moreno 6.5; Luiz 7, KAMARA 7.5; Bailey 6.5 (Duran 64, 6), McGinn 6.5 (Zaniolo 89), Diaby 6 (Tielemans 64, 5.5); Watkins 6. Booked: Watkins, Carlos, Lenglet, Tielemans. Manager: Unai Emery 6.5. Referee: David Coote 6. Attendance: 39,284.