Everton 0 Aston Villa 0: Unai Emery in Premier League first as he finally presides over goalless draw
UNAI EMERY’S numbers as Aston Villa manager have been off the charts – but the stat he racked up here was less welcome.
The Spaniard had never presided over a 0-0 in his previous 96 Premier League games as a boss, either at Arsenal or with Villa.
It’s the longest start to a Premier League managerial career before being involved in a 0-0 by any manager in the competition’s history.
But that has now been ticked off, thanks mainly to VAR taking an age to rule out Alex Moreno’s stunner and Emi Martinez’s heroic goalkeeping.
A point apiece was a fair result and ended Everton’s three-game losing streak.
But Villa will see this as a chance missed, given a victory would have sent them level on points with league-leaders Liverpool.
Emery can still look at a remarkable record of two points per game since he took over at Villa – who, lest we forget, were badly struggling when he took over in November 2022.
It is now 92 points taken from 46 games.
No other manager in Prem history has managed 40 or more matches with an average of two or more points-per-game and not won the division with that club.
And that reason right there is why you cannot rule Emery and his unlikely lads from the Midlands out of the title race.
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They will have to play better than this though in what was not the easiest watch.
It was not short on commitment though, and a bloody battle in its most literal sense as no fewer than three players spilled claret.
James Tarkowski had to have his eye patched up after being caught by a loose elbow by Ollie Watkins, before a stray ball to the face left Moreno with a bloodied nose.
Vitaliy Mykolenko had the worst of it after the break following a nasty clash-of-heads with team-mate Tarkowski, and had to be bandaged up, Terry Butcher-style.
Sean Dyche had lost all five of his previous Premier League clashes against Emery, and was on a losing run of three straight league games.
His side probably shaded a cagey opening but then looked to have fallen behind on 18 minutes as Moreno exquisitely finished off a pre-planned short-corner routine.
The ball had been worked back to the Spaniard from original-taker Leon Bailey on the edge of the area. Moreno controlled it and blasted a beautiful half-volley past the helpless Jordan Pickford.
Austin McPhee, Villa’s set-piece coach, looked delighted on the touchline, presumably after seeing one of his ideas pay off.
Then came the inevitable VAR tedium.
It took three and three-quarter minutes for Stockley Park to deduce that Bailey was indeed offside in the build-up, despite Arnaut Danjuma looking close to playing him on.
Semi-automated offsides cannot come soon enough and Sky pundit Jamie Redknapp spoke for everyone at half-time by commenting: “That was three minutes 45 seconds we will never get back.”
Pickford then demonstrated his good and not-so-good sides in reverse order, first needlessly charging out of his box, putting his side under pressure, then making a fine stop at his near post to deny Bailey.
VAR had a quick look to check Douglas Luiz had not fouled Dominic Calvert-Lewin, concurring with on-field ref David Coote that no infringement had occurred, before the Toffees striker then was presented with the chance of the match.
Danjuma, starting despite transfer interest from Lyon, played a super pass in behind Villa’s backline by cutting across the ball.
Calvert-Lewin went haring after it and was left with only Martinez to beat.
But when you have not scored in 16 hours, and you are facing a World Cup-winning goalkeeper, even the simplest chances become not so easy.
The striker lacked conviction – and height – in his strike which was low enough for Martinez to save with his trailing leg.
It was a world-class stop and the former Arsenal man quickly followed it up with another, as he tipped wide James Garner’s goal-bound strike that came from the aftermath.
Everton were a tad lucky not to have conceded a penalty on the hour when Moussa Diaby appeared to be tripped by Mykolenko and then taken out by the robust Tarkowski, but there was nothing given.
Dyche and Emery both tried to change it up soon after, respectively bringing on Beto and Dwight McNeil, and Jhon Duran and Youri Tielemans.
Duran did his best to be a nuisance in the air and almost diverted in a cross from fellow sub Matty Cash late on – but the ball dropped the wrong side of the post.
It was no coincidence that Everton’s losing streak had come while Abdoulaye Doucoure had been out with a thigh problem.
The former Watford man returned here and thought he had won it at the death when smashing past Martinez – but the offside flag was raised.
A point was the most either side deserved as the impressive Emery chalked up a rare boredraw.
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