The morning after: Villa gain their first victory of the season

Proper criticisms of Premier League action are usually formed after three or so matches. One game can show signs, but is too early. The second game usually lacks season-wide context. The third? It has the right mixture and can showcase the true positives and negatives.

Aston Villa’s third match of the season was a resounding success. Incisive counter-attacking led to two goals, and Villa’s defense were able to hold off and frustrate a mistake-prone yet dangerous Everton attack.

Villa will now look forward to their next match with optimism and relief. A good result against Crystal Palace will be a fine bounty for a team that has fought extremely hard in the opening stages with little reward.

For now, let’s focus on the magic and meaning of a special night at Villa Park as Aston Villa beat Everton 2-0.

Here’s everything you need to read, watch and know about Villa vs Bournemouth.

Morning Reading

• From the stands - The Holte End rises for Villa Park
• Man of the Match - Our young writer chose Jota!

Match Reports

• 7500 to Holte - Villa release the pressure with first Premier League win
• Royal Blue Mersey (Everton) - Typical, that.
• Guardian - Wesley and El Ghazi sink the Toffees
• BBC Sport - Villa collect first points of the season
• BirminghamLive - Guilbert, Jota & balls of steel
• The Athletic - Villa reap benefits of playing with the bravery Smith demands

In Other News..

• Bury owner Steve Dale says the club has been sold - which will save them from EFL expulsion
• Max Rushden took a trip to the VAR bunker
• England whistleblower Eni Aluko still hasn’t received an apology from some former teammates

The Numbers

(SOURCE: BBC SPORT)

The Manager’s Thoughts

Dean Smith revelled in the post-match atmosphere at Villa Park, saying that it took him back to Wembley. He also enjoyed the performance, stating that he got everything that he could have asked for - and more. However, it wasn’t perfect and the Head Coach feels that Villa may have gotten away with one or two spurned chances by Everton. On the whole, the boss is delighted to have won a home game against a good Everton side.

In terms of performances, Smith feels that the long-ball from Heaton to Wesley paid off - as it allowed the team to cool off, settle in and avoid errors at the back. Jota, in particular, impressed Smith - who enjoyed his ability to break the lines and find the final ball.

Your Thoughts

Villa Park was electric in victory last night - what a special atmosphere. Hopefully it can be like that, regardless of what the future holds:

Can’t hear them now...

Winning feels good - especially at a festival..

The atmosphere, again, was special, get used to it, Premier League.

Fan Cams

Dan Rolinson, Dan Bardell and The Villa View are back at it again to showcase the thoughts and voice of the Villa faithful:

The Experience

Villa on Tour showcase the Villa fanbase to the world each and every AVFC game. Here’s Max and the crew back at Villa Park once more:

Highlights

Get them while they’re hot.

xG

Expected goals can tell us a fair bit about a match. Here’s an explainer. In the long term we can judge how well a team is doing in front of goal. On a match-by-match basis, we can simply judge chances, and how well they are taken. Remember your game-states!

Big chances missed for Everton, big chances scored for the Villa

The Match

Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images

Goalscorers: Wesley scored the first, El Ghazi copped the second

Big winners: Wesley Moraes grabbed his first goal, kicked off at defenders, snapped at the referee and damned his critics. All in 90 minutes as well! Jota helped Villa run the game, Guilbert won the right-back spot, Jack and John created chances and worked the midfield while Mings and Engels kept cool at the back.

Big ‘losers’: Look elsewhere.

Best moment: Wesley’s shock opener. It came out of nowhere but was such a well-worked move to tear open Everton’s gaping defence.

The Table

Villa, riding high, can head to Crystal Palace with expectation. Onwards!

UTV