Everton and Aston Villa battled to a 0-0 draw in a Premier League match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The result means Everton missed the chance to become only the third team to win their first two league games at a new permanent home stadium.
Everton started the match with an early opportunity, but Beto couldn’t get his feet sorted out and shot wide from close range. The early exchanges were dominated by the hosts, with Jack Grealish in particular providing some direct and exciting attacking play that had the home crowd on its feet.
Aston Villa took some time to get into the game, with their early attempts at attacking consisting mainly of hopeful long balls over the top. The first shot on target for either team was a half-volley from Grealish. While Villa’s full-backs, Lucas Digne and Matty Cash, tried to provide some attacking impetus, the visitors’ efforts were mostly tame.
The second half began with a similar pattern. Beto failed to connect with an early cross, and while Villa had more success breaking through the midfield, they lacked a forward presence to hold up play. A late chance came for Everton when a great cross from Grealish found Michael Keane, whose powerful header was brilliantly saved by Villa’s goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez.
The match opened up more in the final minutes, with Grealish remaining the most likely player to create a goal-scoring opportunity. However, despite an injury-time chance that went begging, neither team could find the back of the net.
With this draw, Aston Villa remains unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League head-to-head matches against Everton (W9, D4). However, they are still searching for their first win and goal of the season. Everton, meanwhile, remains unbeaten at their new home ground.
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