Everton vs Aston Villa: Five things we learned from Everton’s goalless draw with Aston Villa

Everton extended their unbeaten run to three league matches following a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Toffees boss David Moyes expressed his delight with Everton’s performance and believes they were the better team throughout. 

Sports News Blitz’s Jon Shea explores five takeaways from the match. 

Hill Dickinson fortress?

It was always going to be a test for the club, moving from their long-term home, Goodison Park - a place Everton called home for 133 years.

However, Goodison had not proved to be as big a test for away teams in recent seasons as it had in the past.

In fact, Everton’s last season at Goodison proved to be the worst in terms of points won in the club’s history. 

Moving to the Hill Dickinson sparked a fresh start for Everton, and so far, it’s been good.

Everton are unbeaten in their three games in all competitions, and more impressively, they are yet to concede a goal.

Moyes has spoken repeatedly about making the stadium their own and bringing some of the old Goodison magic to the banks of the Mersey. 

At the moment, it is proving a difficult place to go to for teams as the manager puts the impetuous on Everton to be on the front foot at home with their attacking excellence, which includes the likes of Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish. 

This was certainly the case on Saturday, September 13, as Everton dominated large parts of the match against an Aston Villa side who have competed for the European places in the last few seasons, despite their poor start to the season.

It says a lot that there were several disappointed faces leaving the stadium. And if it wasn’t for the acrobatics of Emiliano Martinez, it may have been three wins in a row for the Toffees at their new stadium.

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Michael Keane’s form 

In his 200th Premier League appearance for the Toffees, Michael Keane had an excellent game alongside again, on Saturday.

The former England international has played second fiddle to Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski over the last couple of seasons - but he has started the season excellently. 

Despite the likelihood of Branthwaite’s immediate return to the squad when fit, Keane has stood in excellently so far.

He showed calmness on the ball and won every header against Ollie Watkins, and when he had to, put it in row Z.

Keane has had his fair share of critics during his eight-year spell at Goodison Park. However, he has always stayed professional and done a job when he had to - and so far this season, he has slotted in expertly 

Merlin could be magic

Only a 25-minute cameo for Everton’s deadline day acquisition, Merlin Rohl, but he showed signs of real quality.

He had legs to get around the pitch and was not afraid to put his foot in when it mattered. 

Not much time to base him on, but he looked like a powerhouse in the midfield, alongside Idrissa Gueye, and Everton fans are looking forward to seeing what is to come from him in the future. 

Strikers issue 

Beto was a frustrating watch for Everton supporters against Aston Villa, as he often found himself in excellent positions.

But either his touch or lack of composure would let him down, including hitting a certain goal against his own foot in the first half, which set the precedent for the rest of the match for him. 

Beto has got two goals to his name this season in all competitions, with his competitor Thierno Barry yet to impress Moyes as of yet. 

Barry did not have much time to impact the match, but at some point, Moyes will need to put his faith in his summer buy from Villarreal.

Moyes has said previously that he will be rotating the two during the season, so it will be interesting to see who he picks for Saturday’s Merseyside derby.

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Competitive team

Moyes has spoken about wanting to get Everton back amongst the European places in the Premier League.

His previous spell at Everton saw his side finish in Europe regularly during the mid-2000s, and the fans would love to see the club back in the top half of the table.

The toffees are currently sixth in the Premier League, which will delight all associated with Everton - but it is yet to be seen whether they can maintain that for the foreseeable future. 

Everton’s league position has improved every season, over the last three seasons, with Moyes driving the club to a 13th-place position last season, but he wants the club to improve.

The club have spent money, which they were restricted from in the past.  

The team has undoubtedly improved from last season, with the creativity going up massively with the signings of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.

Along with Everton’s strong defensive structure, which has seen only three goals conceded this season, if the balance can be right, it could be a special season for the Toffees.

Next up for Moyes’ men is the small matter of the Merseyside Derby at Anfield.

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