Aston Villa 1-0 Everton (January 15, 2025) Match Analysis

David Moyes’ second coming failed to inspire Everton on Wednesday, when they lost 1-0 at home Aston Villa after another toothless Premier League performance.

Villa had lost their last five away games in the league but were by far the better team at Goodison Park and took the points via Ollie Watkins‘ Goal in the 51st minute.

Moyes, back at the club he left in 2013 after the sacking of Sean Dyche last week, was given a close-up view of the huge challenge he faces as Everton struggled for accuracy and ideas all night to make it one win in 12 league games, during which time they have failed to score in nine of them.

That drought never seemed to lift on Wednesday and they remain two places and a point above the relegation zone, while Villa move up to seventh, level on points with Manchester City.

Moyes is Everton’s ninth permanent manager since leaving the club after 11 relatively successful years in charge Manchester United but if anyone expected an immediate transformation in approach after the dismal fare served up under Dyche, they were soon disappointed.

It was a strangely subdued atmosphere at the ground and Everton quickly slipped into their default mode this season – cautious, cautious and without any notable attacking intent.

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It was Villa who took the initiative as Jordan Pickford saved well from Morgan Rogers, James Tarkowski made a desperate block to deny Your Tielemans and Watkins shot wide after grabbing a poor one Ashley Young running back.

Everton managed their first attempt on goal after half an hour Dominic Calvert-Lewin shot wide and he then had an off-balance effort cleared off the line Boubacar Kamara.

Watkins put Villa ahead six minutes after the restart when he was left in too much space to run onto a Rogers through ball and slot low past Pickford.

The goal sent shockwaves through the home fans but Everton’s players remained disjointed and inaccurate and their night was summed up in stoppage time when Calvert-Lewin, desperately lacking in confidence after scoring twice all season, curled a volley over the bar.

“I’m under no illusions about the job I have to do – we couldn’t score a goal tonight,” said Moyes.

“We tried hard, but a little bit of a mistake, a little bit out of position, really cost us the game.”

The only consolation Moyes could take from the night was defeat to relegation rivals Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderersbut he knows he won’t be able to rely on that for the rest of the season if Everton are to avoid relegation for the first time in 71 years.

“The position we’re in isn’t as good as we’d like it to be. We had some really good results and good draws and were difficult to play against under Sean, but we’ve got to show more quality on the ball, he said. “That’s the part I was disappointed with tonight.”

It was of course a different atmosphere in the Villa camp.

“It was a difficult game, they made it difficult and the atmosphere was top notch, but we knocked it out,” Watkins said.

“We could have been a bit more clinical in the first half and it’s a deserved three points. I had a chance in the first half but you have to keep going. You have to keep your mind in the game.”

Villa boss Unai Emery was also a happy man. “We competed very well, we had some clear chances and really only conceded one,” he said.

“We didn’t quite have the same control in the second half, but the clean sheet was important and it was important that we ended this run (of away defeats).”