Another Martinez Masterstroke Lifts Everton Over Villa

On a day littered with international dimensions, the inspiration for Everton's win was all English.

There was a Spanish flag adorned with the Everton crest in the away contingent as the fans' infectious, new, Anglo-French* victory chant rang around Villa Park while it emptied of demoralised home supporters, but the inspiration for an important away victory was all English.

At the age of 32, Leon Osman's capacity to influence a game for 90 minutes may have diminished but he proved how decisive he can be coming off the substitute's bench with a game-changing intervention that helped lift the Blues over Villa and continue Roberto Martinez's impressive start to life at the Everton helm.

Initially providing the experience and level-headed influence to help check the momentum Villa had been building since half time, Osman then served up the goal that broke the deadlock between these two historic adversaries and, finally, sealed the three points with a lovely placed finish with 10 minutes to go.

The result marked Everton's first clean sheet in 11 years in a fixture that has, in recent seasons, become something of a back-and-forth battle often ending with numerous goals but honours even. It was also important in the context of the Blues' bid to crack the top four this season – Tottenham Hotspur, next weekend's visitors to Goodison, had won here last weekend by the same scoreline and if a Champions League berth is going to be even a possibility for Martinez' side this term, it's games like these that need to be won.

Though the scoreline was convincing, it was made possible by heroic work from Tim Howard in keeping the score goalless at half time. The American had a huge game in goal, foiling both Christian Benteke and Andreas Weimann in one-on-one situations in the first 25 minutes as Everton's defence buckled under Villa's direct and fleet-footed approach.

Howard's best moment, however, came after just eight minutes when Seamus Coleman, who did not enjoy one of his better afternoons, clipped the heels of Benteke as the striker cut across him in the penalty area and referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot. While the intent from the Irishman had been missing, the official had little option than to award a penalty but Howard came up big against Benteke, palming his well-struck shot behind in world-class fashion.

Paul Lambert's men were happy to cede the bulk of possession to Everton in the opening 45 minutes and try to find Benteke with balls launched forward from the back or hit the visitiors on the quick counter-attack with men flooding forward through midfield. The Blues, meanwhile, struggled to get their possession-based game into second gear, with Kevin Mirallas hugging the right touchline and largely on the fringe of the action and Romelu Lukaku receiving little service beyond the first-minute cross from his Belgian teammate that he couldn't steer goalwards.

Things started to click a little more as the half progressed, though, and a rare attacking foray on the overlap by Coleman in the 26th minute ended with the Irishman whipping a cross to Lukaku but his header was thwarted by a reflex stop from Guzan. It was Everton's best move of the game thus far and was followed almost immediately by a wonderful shot by Ross Barkley but a slight a deflection saw it bounce agonisingly off the top of the crossbar.

Lukaku then embarked on a now-typical rampaging run but the ball got caught under his feet a little at the crucial moment and a clear chance evaporated, while Mirallas ended a quick break by twisting and turning past his marker and firing goalwards, only for his shot to deflect behind.

If the Blues appeared to be building up a head of steam going into the half-time interval, it appeared to have dissipated to a large degree as the second half started. What purpose they had going forward was wasted somewhat by a poor final ball, both from the wide areas and from set-pieces.

Giving up more and more possession to the home side and generally unable to match their hosts' quick-fire passing exchanges down the centre of the field, the Blues were looking a little ragged in the first quarter of an hour after the restart. Barkley's initial threat had subsided as some questionable decision-making crept into his play, not least when he ignored the better placed Mirallas to his right in the 51st minute and went for an ambitious shot from the angle that he blazed into the stands behind Guzan's goal.

Martinez responded, though, by replacing the youngester with Osman on the hour mark and Everton looked a lot more settled in attacking midfield as a result of the veteran's more considered distribution. With Gareth Barry and James McCarthy carrying out their typically industrious and unsung duties of breaking things up in central midfield and Benteke tiring up front for Villa, the Blues now had the platform on which to go and win the game.

The crucial first goal arrived eight minutes after Osman's introduction. A well-worked move against the left touchline saw Leighton Baines find his fellow England international with a first-time pass infield and Osman knocked on into the penalty area to meet Lukaku's run where the Belgian striker swept the ball past the 'keeper before charging over to the massed ranks of celebrating Evertonians.

Lukaku almost earned Everton a penalty of their own just two minutes later, referee Taylor ignoring calls for handball on Ron Vlaar, but an unconvincing close-range snap-shot from Gabriel Agbonlahor in the 75th minute that, thankfully, ended up in Howard's arms was the last whimper from a Villa side whose belief had visibly been choked out of them by the goal. It had come at a time when Lambert's men were in the ascendency and, conversely, it gave Martinez's men the shot in the arm they needed to take decisive control of the game.

It was fitting, therefore, that Osman was the one to deliver the hammer blow in the 81st minute. Mirallas played a corner short to Baines who, his inexplicable shackles off, was causing all sorts of problems on Villa's right and he fed it back to Barry in an ocean of space in the penalty area. He had time to play it back to the beckoning Osman on the edge of the box and he stroked the ball inside the post with aplomb.

With the home fans heading for the exits, Everton had chances to pour more misery on Villa but Steven Naismith, on as a substitute for Pienaar, just missed finding the same spot as had Osman with a good effort from 18 yards and Baines raked an effort of his own wide from a similar distance in injury time.

In the final reckoning, a terrific three points from precisely the kind of game Everton should be winning, although Martinez will feel indebted to his goalkeeper for a fine game between the sticks. Ultimately, the Blues found the quality they needed in the final third when it mattered and they were good value for the three points on the whole.

Furthermore, though he somehow failed to book Tomev for a late, high-footed tackle on Baines in the first half but then correctly yellow-carded McCarthy for an ugly challenge on Westwood in the second, it was nice not to have to talk about controversial referee Taylor, though Lambert will no doubt feel as though some of the marginal decisions went Everton's way.

Most importantly, this Everton side looks like it knows how to win games and then close them out at the moment and Martinez has made two match-turning substitutions in the last two games that are a credit to his reading of his side's performances. That makes five Premier League wins in the last six matches; now to make a statement against rivals Spurs back at Goodison on Sunday...

* Reference amended (see discussion below)

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