Aston Villa’s title hopes dented after costly Martinez error punished by Everton’s Barry

Everton boss David Moyes, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: “Incredibly satisfying. It’s more to do with what we’ve not got at the moment and that’s no discrediting the boys who played today.

“We’ve been working out all week on how we can get a result against them. It took a bit of luck in moments. We could have been in front after 10 seconds. We didn’t shut up shop, we created opportunities when we could.

“I thought Jimmy Garner was immense. It was a big game for Harrison (Armstrong). He stepped up today and he’s doing well for such a young player. Merlin (Rohl) too.

“I’ve got centre halves who do their best to defend the goal and I’ve got a great goalkeeper. We try to be solid. I don’t know any good teams that aren’t good defensively. We can’t score loads and loads of goals so we have to make sure we’re solid.”

On Thierno Barry goal: “It was a great finish. Did I expect it? I wasn’t sure. He was able to lift it over the goalkeeper and get us that important goal.”

On the transfer market: “We’re trying but whether we get anything at the end of the line, I don’t know. The club would like to add players but it’s a difficult market right now.”

Everton’s forward Thierno Barry, speaking to BBC MOTD: “I am very happy today. I scored again and we win.

“All is perfect today. It is my job, and I need to score. I didn’t score a lot, but I try to score. Today I have one chance and I put it in, so I am happy.”

On his goal: “I don’t think too much, I see the ball, and I see Martinez come.”

Everton boss David Moyes, speaking to Sky Sports: “It was magnificent. It’s been a pretty difficult week for us but we got over that.

“Coming here is never easy. The boys started well and we took confidence from it. We hit the post right away. Overall, I’m really pleased with the performance.

“We want to make more chances. We didn’t create loads. The clean sheet is why we could nick the game. They made a mistake. Dwight got a shot on target and the centre forward is following it up.”

On disallowed goal: “I could give you a full list of decisions we’ve not got going for us so I’m not surprised. Offsides are where they can get it right because of the lines.”

On conversations with Thomas Tuchel: “I think the likes of Garner and Dewsbury-Hall have been doing brilliantly for us this year. Long may that continue.

“Some credit to the players. It’s in the DNA at Everton, we can dig wins out.”

Everton’s player of the match James Garner, speaking to Sky Sports: “They’re a very good team and they have a lot of brilliant players. The lads grinded it out today. We got the chance and we took it.

“We tried to nullify what they’re good at which is playing through the middle. We tried to block off the passing lanes and force it wide. We waited for our moment.

“We were in a sticky patch. We had to get ourselves out of this. To win away from home is hopefully the start of it. I think it was an amazing performance from the lads.”

Maatsen is rolling around on the floor following a challenge by Rohl. It didn’t seem like much on first viewing but replays show that the Everton man raked his studs down the Achilles of the left-back. A painful one.

Rogers does not have his shooting boots on today! Maatsen picks the midfielder out twice in quick succession with excellent balls into the area. His first effort is not convincing and is blocked by Tarkowski, while his second is blazed wildly over the bar.

Aston Villa 0 Everton 1 (Barry) Everton are ahead and Villa only have themselves to blame.

Torres gives the ball away on the edge of the box with a really sloppy touch under little pressure and McNeil looks to bend one into the far corner.

It should be routine for Martinez, lacking power and at a nice height, but he is unable to hold the shot and Barry dinks home superbly.

Emery will be livid with that goal, two really poor pieces of play in quick succession to gift the visitors the opener.

Grealish is found down Everton’s left and he stands up Cash before taking aim with a low effort but the right-back makes the block and it goes out for a corner.

Tarkowski goes down after an arm to the head from Torres before the ball can be delivered but it’s just a talking to from the referee.

The corner is then played to Mykolenko on the edge of the box but his cross into the area is shocking.

That disallowed goal seems to have woken Villa up. Maatsen drives really well down their left to reach the byline before picking out Rogers with a low ball into the area, but the midfielder’s sweeping effort from close range is blocked.

The following corner is then played to Rogers on the edge of the box, but his powerful strike is parried away by Pickford. The England man had gone for a drink before the corner before darting to the edge of the area to receive the pass - perhaps a new set-piece routine?

Villa pinch the ball on the edge of Everton’s box and Maatsen tries his luck but his low, driven effort is straight at Pickford, who holds the strike.

A few moments later, Grealish gets pressed really high up the pitch and there are big cheers as his pass is intercepted by McGinn, sending it out for a throw.

But those cheers turn quickly to concern for the home fans, with McGinn going down, holding his knee. The Scotland midfielder will require some treatment here and may even have to make way.

A lot of focus will be on Jack Grealish on his return to Villa Park. Aston Villa fans will fear what their former favourite son can do while Everton will be hoping he can recapture his form from earlier this season.

On loan from Manchester City the other question is whether Everton will be willing to commit £50million to sign him permanently at the end of this season? That feels like a lot of money for a player who turns 31 in September. But there is also the feeling that there is still a lot of unfulfilled potential with Grealish.

The stadium announcer has just declared that this will be Morgan Rogers’ 100th appearance for Aston Villa. What a signing the 23-year-old has been for them.

The England international cost an initial £8million from Middlesbrough when he signed two years ago. Villa would demand £100million for him now while he could well keep Jude Bellingham out of the team at this summer’s World Cup.

Ben Godfrey is on the verge of joining Danish club Brøndby in the next days after a deal was agreed with Atalanta.

The 28-year-old, capped twice for England during Gareth Southgate’s era, was at Sheffield United on a season-long deal but was sent back to Italy early after only making four appearances in the Championship.

Godfrey will now head to Brøndby, the 11-times Danish champions, on a six-month deal taking him to the end of the campaign.

Steve Cooper was appointed at Brøndby in September and they are third in the table approaching the end of the regular season, with the division split after 22 games. Cooper, the former Nottingham Forest head coach, previously worked at the Football Association when Godfrey was playing for England’s youth teams.

At Brøndby, they have been investing in the team and made changes at the club, with Lyon showing interest in a deal worth around £8.5million including add-ons for Denmark Under-21 winger Noah Nartey.

It will be Godfrey’s third loan at Atalanta after joining the Serie A outfit in 2024, with short-term deals to Ipswich Town and Sheffield United in the last two seasons.

Everton boss David Moyes, speaking to Sky Sports: “Pleased to be back on the road - we have a good record on the road away from from home.”

On Jack Grealish: “Huge influence in every game he has been involved in. He has had dips in little bits at moments this season. But the minutes he has played he has done really well.”

On Thierno Barry: “I think he is a boy who is getting used to the Premier League. He is doing a lot of good things – we need his goal tally to be better.”

On Aston Villa: “Villa are a side in good form and we know we have to play well. Couple of shocks yesterday, so why not today?”

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery, speaking to Sky Sports: “This is the first target to set our standards as high as possible, then be as consistent.

“More or less, we are being consistent throughout the match as a club, as a team, as individual players. Being demanding and trying to focus wholly on our responsibility there.

“38 matches in the Premier League and it is a marathon. Hopefully, we can build strong through our supporters with the energy they give us.”

On Jadon Sancho’s exclusion: “He is sick.”

On Everton, he said: “They are performing away fantastic. They have, like us, some circumstances with players injured or with AFCON.

“They’re very competitive, and the coach is always being competitive. The last match they won in Nottingham, and we expect a difficult match.”

Aston Villa are unbeaten in all 13 of their Premier League games against Everton since their return to the division in 2019, winning nine of those.

Everton have lost each of their last four Premier League away games against Aston Villa, their longest losing run at Villa Park since between October 1995 and April 2001.

The sides played out a goalless draw at Hill Dickinson in September, during Villa’s barren start to the season.

But Unai Emery’s side one both meetings last season, winning 3-2 at Villa Park in September before claiming a 1-0 victory at Goodison Park in January.

Everton remain without Iliman Ndiaye and Idrissa Gueye, with the pair reaching the final of the Africa Cup of Nation with Senegal.

Manager David Moyes said he is “thrilled” for the two players, adding: “I hope if they win they don’t celebrate too long because I need them back!”

Everton have been working with a depleted squad of late given these absences as well as suspensions to Jack Grealish and Michael Keane and injuries, including to Jarrad Branthwaite and Seamus Coleman.

They have not yet signed anyone this month but Moyes said: “We have not shut ourselves off from the transfer window. We need players more than ever.

On who has the final decision on transfers: “I have got the final say if we want to buy a player or if we don’t want to buy a player. I get told by my superiors how much we have got to spend and what we have available. I have to work off those thoughts.

“We’re in there trying, it doesn’t mean we’re going to take any player for the sake of it.

Asked about Aston Villa’s plans for January, Unai Emery told reporters: “I want to speak more about Everton on Sunday.

“The transfer window is important but not a ‘now objective’. We are working it, we did something of course as [Donyell] Malen left and we are trying as well to do some deals but the most important is the players we have.”

He added: “The priority is someone as a central attacking player, a striker, with the characteristics as a striker and to compete with [Ollie] Watkins or maybe even play with him.

“Now Malen has left another player can help us with numbers in the squad.”

Villa confirmed the signing of Brazilian winger Alysson from Gremio at the start of the month, but he is is in a “little bit of pain”, according to Emery, and is not ready for today’s game.

Donyell Malen joined Roma from Aston Villa this week after just one year with the Premier League side.

The 26-year-old forward scored 10 goals in 46 appearances for Villa after joining from Borussia Dortmund in January last year.

Asked about Malen leaving, manager Unai Emery said: “It’s a tough decision but it makes sense. There are three parts involved in the decision - firstly the player, he was helping us, scoring goals, not being consistent in the starting 11 but for me he was very important and he knew it. I spoke with him a lot.

“Second part is about the player, he was happy but not enough like he wanted. He opened his door to listen in case something can give him something better than us.

“The last part is the club and for the club it’s a good deal. For me I preferred him to stay here but I accept it. It’s a good deal for the club and it’s a good deal for him.”

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of Aston Villa vs Everton from the Premier League as Unai Emery’s side looked to close the gap on leaders Arsenal to just four points.

Mikel Arteta‘s men were held to a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, meaning they missed the chance to extend their lead at the summit of the table to nine points following Manchester City’s defeat in the Derby earlier in the day.

Villa, who have now picked up 28 points from the last 33 available in the league, have the opportunity to go three points ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side, who they trail only on goal difference coming into this afternoon‘s game.

Their only draw during the aforementioned run of league matches came in their last outing, playing out a stalemate at Crystal Palace, but they returned to winning ways in the FA Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 away from home.

Looking ahead to today’s fixture against Everton, Emery said this week: “They are performing very well away and competing fantastically.

“A team always difficult [to play]. We focus on this match after 10 days of not playing in the Premier League, we remind ourselves of the importance of this competition and it is the priority for us.”

They face an Everton side who have had a disappointing start to the New Year, losing at home to Brentford in the league before drawing at the Hill Dickinson against bottom-of-the-league Wolves.

They were then knocked out of the FA Cup on penalties by Sunderland, with that game also on home soil, after missing all three of their penalties in the shoot-out.

David Moyes’ side come into this afternoon’s contest in 12th, trailing Brighton on goal difference and just two points behind Fulham, while they are a point ahead of Crystal Palace and two adrift of Spurs.

Click here to read article