Aston Villa vs Everton Player Ratings: Garner shines again in fantastic away win

Everton produced another superb performance on the road and secured a massive 1-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Thierno Barry scored the only goal of the game to prevent Unai Emery’s side from going second in the league table. The Blues’ display tonight was impressive after their dismal exit from the FA Cup against Sunderland last weekend.

David Moyes’ side stunned the home crowd into silence just 11 seconds into the game after Merlin Rohl struck the post from Jordan Pickford’s long ball. It laid down the marker for the rest of the contest as Everton kept plugging away.

Jake O’Brien thought he had scored the opener from a fantastic James Garner cross before seeing the linesman’s flag as he turned away to celebrate. VAR review showed that O’Brien was behind the line. However, the goal was ruled out anyway with Harrison Armstrong offside and deemed to have been influencing the play.

Barry finally put the Toffees ahead just before the hour-mark after cleverly chipping the ball over Emiliano Martinez at the near post following his save off Dwight McNeil’s attempt. It was the summer signing's third goal in four league matches.

Everton held on to secure three important points against a top side to climb to 10th in the league table after the dismal results of recent weeks.

Here are the player ratings from Everton’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa:

Jordan Pickford: 8

It was Pickford’s early long ball that led to the Rohl chance just 11 seconds into the match at Villa Park that set the marker for Moyes’ men. He produced an outrageous save off Morgan Rogers in the second half while also thwarting another effort from him in the first half.

Nathan Patterson: 7.5

Patterson produced an encouraging display and kept the likes of Buendia and Maatsen quiet. He made a crucial clearance from a ball delivered across the face of goal and also got forward on a few occasions.

James Tarkowski: 8

Made a crucial interception to nick the ball off Emi Buendia and Tarkowski kept things tight at the back. Although a few of his passes in the first half were sloppy, he had a strong second half.

Jake O’Brien: 8

O’Brien thought he had the ball inside the back of the net from Garner’s cross but VAR ruled it out with Armstrong in an offside position in the buildup to it. The jury, however, remains out on whether he influenced the play or not. O’Brien was also fantastic at the back and produced a crucial block off Morgan Rogers’ chance from close range.

Vitalii Mykolenko: 6

Mykolenko did well to put off Evann Guessand from finding the goal from Youri Tieleman’s defence-splitting pass in the first half. However, he was fortunate that Guessand’s header only hit the crossbar after losing an aerial duel later in the game. 

The left-back also had a shot at goal from Rohl’s pass that got tipped over the bar by Emi Martinez.

James Garner: 8.5

The way James Garner has stepped up this season and delivered responsible performances has been wonderful to witness. Garner didn’t put a foot wrong and dictated matters in the engine room at Villa Park. 

He was always available for a pass and won the most tackles and duels in the game. He delivered the outstanding ball for O’Brien to head home which was given as offside.

Merlin Rohl: 7.5

Rohl almost put Everton ahead with 11 seconds on the clock. Receiving the chested pass from Barry, he controlled the ball before unleashing a shot that struck the far post before ricocheting back out. While he had a few losses of the ball, it was Rohl’s best game in an Everton shirt as he kept things ticking in the middle.

Harrison Armstrong: 7

There’s no way that David Moyes let Armstrong leave on loan again even when he has a fully fit squad. In just a short number of games since being recalled from his loan spell at Preston, Armstrong has won over the fanbase with his intelligence and composure. 

His performance against Aston Villa was astute, although he was harshly ruled as offside in the build-up to O’Brien’s first-half header.

Dwight McNeil: 7

McNeil reacted well to Pau Torres’ mistake and it was his initial shot saved by Emi Martinez that led to Everton’s opening goal, converted by Barry. He also worked his socks off defensively.

Thierno Barry: 8 (replaced by Beto at 83’)

Barry’s smart chipped finish at the near post helped Everton secure another fantastic away win. He had a good start to the game, bringing the ball down well for Rohl to have a shot at goal. 

The Frenchman also used his physique well to win duels and his linkup play was effective. An encouraging performance from the young striker capped off with his third goal in the last four league matches.

Jack Grealish: 7

Grealish brought a calm influence in possession despite the constant boos at Villa Park. He kept winning free-kicks to disrupt the hosts’ rhythm and also had a volleyed effort at the back post from a corner.

Substitutions

Beto: N/A

 

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