Aston Villa 2, Everton 0 - post match analysis

Sep 24 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

IT was a telling snapshot at the end of a dismal afternoon for Everton. As the visiting players trudged beaten and bruised from the Villa Park turf, skipper Phil Neville called on his team-mates to show their appreciation to the travelling support.

Those brave enough to venture towards the away end were met with a cascade of abuse and a sea of hands waving them back towards the dressing room.

Small wonder the fans were so furious.

On a day when the death of mime artist Marcel Marceau was announced, David Moyes’s side could only muster a pale impersonation of the team that shot to the top of the Premier League in the early weeks.

Powder puff. Terrible. Lightweight. Poor. Even as he attempted to put a brave face on his team’s performance, Moyes’s words betrayed his genuine emotions.

Was there a hangover from Thursday’s UEFA Cup exertions? Moyes insisted not.

But if Everton’s players want progress both at home and abroad, they’re going to have to play better than they have done during the past week.

As against Metalist Kharkiv, Everton were their own worst enemy yesterday, Joseph Yobo in particular culpable for both Aston Villa goals.

He wasn’t alone, though, and it would be wrong to single out any individual.

As a collective, Everton didn’t perform; worryingly, it’s now just one win in six for Moyes’s men.

The last few days have been evidence, not that it was necessary, of the influence Mikel Arteta exerts on the team. Lacking the composure of the injured Spanish midfielder, Everton enjoyed plenty of possession but were toothless around the Villa area, unable to force a genuine save from home goalkeeper Scott Carson until the 89th minute.

Such scant service was of no benefit to Andrew Johnson, who had been retained by Moyes in the team as a show of support in the wake of his penalty nightmare.

And when a chance did finally present itself, the manner in which it was snatched at by the striker underlined how a six-month goal drought is now adversely affecting his play. Johnson – later substituted for the first time this season – needs a goal, and fast. Certainly, there can be no complaints about the England international’s effort and application.

The same, though, cannot be said of Yakubu, whose disinterested performance against Metalist on Thursday rightly cost him his starting place yesterday, only three games into his Goodison career following his club record £11.5million transfer from Middlesbrough. Somehow, you don’t think Moyes was saving the Nigerian for this week’s Carling Cup trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

Everton have yet to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League this season, a dismal statistic they share only with Fulham and which needs to be addressed if they are to arrest their slide down the table.

And while Moyes could point to yesterday being the first time since the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on New Year’s Day that Everton had conceded twice on their travels, it served to highlight the below-par nature of their performance.

Leighton Baines was perhaps the one defender to emerge from yesterday’s game with any real credit, while only the ever-busy Leon Osman showed any hint of creativity from midfield.

Yakubu’s demotion in favour of Victor Anichebe was one of three changes from Thursday.

Phil Jagielka returned to central midfield in place of Lee Carsley and the fit-again Steven Pienaar came in for James McFadden as Moyes reverted to a more straightforward 4-4-2 for the bread and butter of the Premier League.

The April meeting at Villa, in which the home side came from behind to earn a stirring 1-1 draw, is regarded by Martin O’Neill as the turning point of his reign at the club.

Without doubt, this season’s Villa are far more vibrant than last, and having already accounted for Chelsea on their own turf, Everton knew they would be in for a testing afternoon.

A frantic opening few minutes saw Yobo poleaxe Zat Knight with a shot straight into the Villa defender’s face before unintentionally deflecting a Martin Laursen header towards his own goal, Jagielka eventually clearing from near to the line.

And Yobo was mainly at fault for Villa taking the lead in the 14th minute. The centre-back made a complete hash of a routine clearance from Wilfred Bouma’s left-wing cross, forcing Baines into a hurried header that fell at the feet of Carew, who rammed the ball beyond Stefan Wessels from 12 yards.

Luke Moore nodded in what he thought was Villa’s second moments later, but Everton were relieved that Ashley Young’s cross had already drifted out of play before dropping at the far post.

Despite enjoying plenty of the ball, Everton couldn’t work Carson as the home side defended in numbers while searching for the pace of wingers Young and Agbonlahor on the counter-attack.

Yobo and Joleon Lescott struggled to contain the physical power of Villa forward duo Carew and Moore, and Everton had an escape when Agbonlahor saw a header cleared off the line by Tony Hibbert on the stroke of half-time after Wessels had misjudged Young’s corner.

Everton’s poor first-half performance was summed up when a rattled Lescott inexplicably booted a free-kick straight into touch.

The visitors improved after the interval – they had to – but after striking a free-kick at Carson, Johnson was betrayed by his lack of confidence when snatching at Anichebe’s knockdown and firing wide when unmarked inside the area.

It would have been a controversial equaliser, as Villa were briefly down to 10 men with the officials having dallied over allowing substitute Craig Gardner to enter the field to replace Carew, the Norwegian already departed through injury.

But if Villa’s first goal was a poor one to concede, their second on 61 minutes was even worse. A long punt upfield from Carson was left by Yobo under the belief the loitering Agbonlahor was in an offside position.

But, when the assistant’s flag remained down, Agbonlahor was free to race clear, control the dropping ball expertly and slot home underneath the approaching Wessels.

And that was that. Everton forced some late pressure with Osman striking at Carson from Yobo’s lay-off, but that would have represented mere consolation.

Sadly for those unhappy travelling supporters, there wasn’t much of that on the way home from this afternoon to forget.

GOALS: Carew 14, Agbonlahor 60

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Carson; Mellberg, Laursen, Knight, Bouma; Agbonlahor, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young; Moore (Harewood 80), Carew (Gardner 53). Subs: Taylor, Davies, Maloney. BOOKING: Agbonlahor (unsporting behaviour).

EVERTON (4-4-2): Wessels; Hibbert, Yobo, Lescott, Baines; Pienaar, Neville, Jagielka, Osman; Johnson (McFadden 69), Anichebe (Yakubu 69). Subs: Ruddy, Valente, Carsley.

REFEREE: Lee Probert.

ATT: 38,235.

NEXT GAME: Sheffield Wednesday v Everton, Carling Cup third round, Wednesday 7.45pm