Aston Villa's title hopes were all but extinguished as Thierno Barry fired resolute Everton to a crushing victory at Villa Park, leaving the Villans reeling and their Champions League aspirations hanging by a thread.
Unai Emery's side had hoped to capitalize on the dropped points of Arsenal and Manchester City, but instead found themselves on the receiving end of a punishment from a team that was nearly unbeaten in front of their own fans. Thierno Barry's exquisite finish after an Emiliano Martínez fumble, coupled with Pau Torres' sloppy lapse, proved the catalyst for Everton's dominant display.
David Moyes, who had to endure a difficult first-half header being disallowed due to offside Harrison Armstrong, was overjoyed with his team's performance. Midfield maestro James Garner, once again excelled in his role, outshone Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins from an England perspective, while Amadou Onana's £50m signing remains a major doubt after being absent with a hamstring injury.
For Aston Villa, the afternoon was a frustrating one that seemed to unravel from the moment Merlin Röhl clinked a post inside 11 seconds. The introduction of George Hemmings on his home debut was an unimpressive gesture in a team that looked woefully short on ideas and creativity. In contrast, Everton were as solid as ever behind their stalwart goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
While Jack Grealish enjoyed a triumphant return to Villa Park in his third appearance, the celebrations may have been premature for the former City man who was left to ponder what could have been when Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea team was thrashing Donyell Malen's Roma 3-1 just two days prior. With Villa now four points adrift of Manchester City and needing a dramatic turnaround in form, the prospect of a title push seems increasingly remote.
As for Thierno Barry, who scored his first-ever Premier League goal, David Moyes praised him as "exquisite" while heaping praise on fellow midfielder James Garner. For Everton, it was another major triumph that will surely be remembered as one of their most impressive away wins in recent years.
Unai Emery's side had hoped to capitalize on the dropped points of Arsenal and Manchester City, but instead found themselves on the receiving end of a punishment from a team that was nearly unbeaten in front of their own fans. Thierno Barry's exquisite finish after an Emiliano Martínez fumble, coupled with Pau Torres' sloppy lapse, proved the catalyst for Everton's dominant display.
David Moyes, who had to endure a difficult first-half header being disallowed due to offside Harrison Armstrong, was overjoyed with his team's performance. Midfield maestro James Garner, once again excelled in his role, outshone Ezri Konsa and Ollie Watkins from an England perspective, while Amadou Onana's £50m signing remains a major doubt after being absent with a hamstring injury.
For Aston Villa, the afternoon was a frustrating one that seemed to unravel from the moment Merlin Röhl clinked a post inside 11 seconds. The introduction of George Hemmings on his home debut was an unimpressive gesture in a team that looked woefully short on ideas and creativity. In contrast, Everton were as solid as ever behind their stalwart goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
While Jack Grealish enjoyed a triumphant return to Villa Park in his third appearance, the celebrations may have been premature for the former City man who was left to ponder what could have been when Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea team was thrashing Donyell Malen's Roma 3-1 just two days prior. With Villa now four points adrift of Manchester City and needing a dramatic turnaround in form, the prospect of a title push seems increasingly remote.
As for Thierno Barry, who scored his first-ever Premier League goal, David Moyes praised him as "exquisite" while heaping praise on fellow midfielder James Garner. For Everton, it was another major triumph that will surely be remembered as one of their most impressive away wins in recent years.
️ Thierno Barry's goal was insane! I feel bad for Jack Grealish, he had a good return to Villa Park but it wasn't enough. It looks like their title hopes are slipping away fast 
And that Emiliano Martinez fumble was huge! pau torres is having a bit of an off day 
anyway, great win for Everton, they're really showing why they were one of the top teams in the league 
Everton just CRUSHED Aston Villa at home 
! Thierno Barry is a DARK HORSE for the Premier League top 4 
, can't believe he scored that sweet finish against Emery's team 
. David Moyes is on FIRE 
with his tactics, gotta give it to him for getting the best out of his squad 
. But for Villa, they've got their work cut out if they wanna make a title push 
...and Grealish's return was kinda anticlimactic 
...
their title hopes are pretty much done and dusted now. i mean they're 4 points behind city and just got thrashed by evilton today 
what a crushing blow. and that grealish guy thought he could just waltz back in here and score some goals? not this time mate 
, but at the same time, I think this could be a great learning experience for them 
! They've got some talented players like Jack Grealish and Ezri Konsa, and they just need to find that spark 
! They've been playing really well all season, and it's great to see them get those three points 
!
james garner was on fire tho he's definitely one of the bright spots in that team 
thierno barry's goal was insane tho 
a £50m signing who can't even get a game with hamstring injuries is just not good enough for villa 
. Barry's goal was insane 
. Emery needs to make some serious changes or it's game over for them 
. on the other hand Everton are looking solid as ever 
, their team spirit and cohesion are making them hard to beat. they deserve all the credit 
they can't even string two passes together and Barry just comes out of nowhere to score and it's like Everton is the only decent team in the league lol thier defense was solid as ever but villa's attack is literally non existent rn 
and i love how grealish celebrated his return but that 3-1 loss to roma is still fresh on their minds 