Aston Villa secured a superb 3-2 comeback win over Everton on Saturday evening, coming from 2-0 down to seal all three points.
It was a third win in four games to start the Premier League season, and it will hopefully prove to be a confidence boost going into our Champions League opener against Young Boys on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Everton: Key trio decisive in thrilling comeback win
Speaking after the game, Unai Emery was delighted with his side’s perseverance to complete the comeback victory, while it was Jhon Duran who once again proved to be the match winner with a stunning strike.
Villa host Wolves next Saturday hoping to make it three consecutive league wins, while we also get our Carabao Cup campaign underway this month as our challenge of trying to compete across multiple competitions ramps up.
Villa’s patience, belief in way of playing fundamental
Emiliano Martinez noted in his post-match interview that two years ago, Villa probably lose that game after going 2-0 down.
This isn’t the same Villa though, under Emery. While there was an obvious risk that we would panic and lose our way after falling behind in a game that we were controlling, we stayed calm, patient, composed and methodically broke Everton down time and time again.
Tha led to our three goals and comeback win, and so that belief and confidence in our way of playing and structure was fundamental to producing such a positive response as we stuck with it and didn’t waver. There were other key moments though that could have changed things, but it’s ultimately another impressive three points.
Crucial boost for Watkins to get back amongst goals
It’s been a difficult start to the season for Ollie Watkins, as he has missed some big chances and struggled to make a decisive impact up front.
Naturally, that would have started to impact his confidence, and so to get back amongst the goals in this one with a brace will be vital for him moving forward to try and rediscover his best form and consistency.
He admitted after the game that he’s still not 100 percent physically after such a quick turnaround after EURO 2024, and he’s been carrying a knock since. However, he will take a lot from this game, and it hopefully sets him up for a strong run of form in the coming weeks.
Duran does it again
It’s been an incredible start to the season for Duran, who now has three winning goals in four games after his heroics against West Ham Utd and Leicester City.
This was the pick of the bunch by some distance though, as his stunning strike gave Jordan Pickford no chance and resulted in Villa Park erupting with what should be a serious contender for Goal of the Season.
Aside from his decisive goals though, it’s great to see Duran working hard for the team through pressing relentlessly and putting in a shift out of possession to establish himself as an effective fit for Emery’s structure and style, and it’s a great sign that he’s maturing and ready to be a pivotal figure for us this season.
Tielemans continues to pull the strings
One of the common trends in all four games so far this season is Youri Tielemans relishing in his orchestrator in chief role as he continues to impress and make us tick in midfield.
The 27-year-old is flourishing in that midfield pivot role as he continues to fill the void left behind by Douglas Luiz, and he’s now consistently playing his best football since joining us.
From his tenacity to his technical ability and vision to make passes that break the lines and set us off in attack, or his probing long balls that force mistakes from the opposition’s defence and create openings for us. Tielemans has been such a positive influence and it’s been a real joy to watch him operate in recent weeks.
Emery shows his class with half-time tweak, Barkley impact key
While seeing Emiliano Buendia make his comeback from injury at senior level almost made this list, it has to be Emery’s critical change at half-time that made such an important difference for us in the second half.
With Amadou Onana struggling in the opening 45 minutes, we needed a more effective presence in midfield to not only help us dictate tempo and possession, but to tactically give us additional creativity and quality in deeper areas to unlock Everton’s defensive shape.
Emery identified that need, didn’t waste time and made the change at the break, and it helped us build on our goal before half-time to turn things around and secure all three points. It was another example of his coaching class and tactical genius, while Ross Barkley deserves plenty of praise too for the influence he had alongside Tielemans to help us build sustained pressure, probe and eventually find breakthroughs.
