TOFFEES UNSTUCK
Villa leave Euro ambition in shreds
ANWAR EL GHAZI delivered the hammer blow to Everton’s outside Champions League hopes with a stunning late strike.
The Dutch winger made it more Goodison misery for Carlo Ancelotti inflicting an eighth home defeat on Everton – equalling a club record in a league season.
The Villa star curled an unstoppable shot past Jordan Pickford in the 80th minute to give Dean Smith’s stars a deserved win.
England star Pickford had been a Toffees hero in the first half making a string of superb saves to keep rampant Villa at bay. But he had no chance with El Ghazi’s strike which ensured Everton’s nightmare run at Goodison goes on.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin delivered more compelling evidence that he can play a big role in Gareth Southgate’s Euro squad this summer.
Calvert-Lewin expertly headed his 20th club goal of the season – and his 24th in total – to put Everton level at 1-1 against high-energy Villa in a fast and furious you-attack-we-attack battle.
He is enjoying his best ever season in an Everton shirt and his goal to cancel out Ollie Watkins’ opener for Villa made it a class-leading seven top-flight headed goals in this campaign.
With Watkins also on a mission to impress Southgate in the final weeks of the season, the Villa striker did his cause no harm – especially with Euro bosses able to pick 26-man squads.
The £28million former Brentford star was a constant threat with his pace and energy even leaving pacy Everton defensive duo Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey struggling.
They were all eclipsed by a man-of-the-match show from Jordan Pickford who stopped Villa romping to victory by half-time with a string of superb saves.
Frustration has been the overriding emotion on the red half of Merseyside this season with a disastrous title defence that’s been of some
comfort to their arch enemy. Carlo Ancelotti’s carrying his own exasperation at repeated failures by Everton to use their home form as a launch pad for the top four.
Everton’s nerves weren’t helped when creative force James Rodriguez pulled out after being injured in the warm-up. And when they slipped behind to a superb Watkins goal it looked like another sticky night for the Toffees.
Villa pressed high and hard, but their opener was a gift from Holgate. Realising he couldn’t play out, he turned towards his own goal but was mugged by Watkins who recovered from a slip to slide the ball past Pickford.
It proved the catalyst for a quick response from Everton who levelled through a trademark Calvert-Lewin header six minutes later.
Luca Digne’s corner to the back post was perfect for Calvert-Lewin who cleverly lost marker Ross Barkley to power a nod past Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Everton pair combined again minutes later and only a super save by the Villa keeper kept out CalvertLewin’s brave diving header.
Villa were a constant threat on the break and looked as if they’d score every time they burst forward.
Bertrand Traore was acrobatically thwarted by Pickford who clawed out his curling shot after blocking the Villa attacker’s first effort.
The flood of chances kept rolling in on Everton’s goal and Villa boss Dean Smith was wondering how his side didn’t score after 35 minutes.
First, Watkins brought a point-blank save from Pickford and from the rebound El Ghazi fired over via the crossbar.
Barkley, on-loan from Chelsea but unlikely to be kept on by Villa beyond the summer, almost made amends for his earlier marking error with a fizzing left- foot drive which struck the base of the post.
Ancelotti’s half-time talk made sure Everton stopped the flow of Villa chances.
Richarlison twice tested Martinez but El Ghazi went one better for the visitors.