SOMETIMES you have to just hold your hands up, shrug off the contentious decisions, acknowledge the bit of luck you might have had and be pleased to have witnessed an absolute cracker of a match.

There was a time when games against Villa were ones that even Sky would have winced at the thought of televising.

You can’t fool all of the people all of the time, and all that. Nowadays you feel cheated if they provide less than five goals a throw.

Everton and the Birmingham Deans went toe-to-toe for the third time this season and, once again, the watching public can genuinely feel they got what they paid for.

In spite of Gareth Barry’s risible post-match comments, the first half provided 35 minutes of splendid football by the visitors, bookended by Villa’s robust and direct assault on our penalty area.

I’m not one for arguing the merits of one style of football over another – who cares, so long as the method you choose to follow is the most profitable – but please, Gareth, we do have eyes you know.

The chaps were good value for their lead at the break but, Everton being Everton, you always had the feeling that we would regret letting Villa back into a game once we had victory firmly in our grasp. It’s almost uniquely Everton that the first reaction when the second goal hits the net is “don’t mess this up”. Rather than “we’re going to wallop these”.

That might just be me, but I reckon more than a few people reading this on the train will be nodding sagely to themselves. Like no-one can see you. Still, it could be worse, you could be picking your nose while you’re doing it.