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Ollie Watkins scored his eighth league goal of the season for Aston VillaOllie Watkins continued his excellent goalscoring form in the Premier League as Aston Villa's victory returned Everton to the relegation zone.
Striker Watkins netted for a fifth consecutive league game, thumping home a second-half penalty after former Villa midfielder Idrissa Gueye tripped John McGinn in the box.
It is a costly defeat for Sean Dyche's men, who return to the bottom three after West Ham United and Leeds United both collected three points.
Toffees players and supporters will have left Goodison Park wondering how they went home empty handed, having spurned the better chances.
Neal Maupay's diving header was cleared off the line by Tyrone Mings while his tame, side-footed effort was gathered by Emiliano Martinez
The Argentina World Cup winner also made a superb reflex save to deny Amadou Onana's towering header as he tipped the Belgium midfielder's effort over the crossbar.
At the other end, Jordan Pickford clawed Watkins' header onto the post at full stretch, but the Villa front man was not to be denied from the spot with a confidently taken penalty.
Substitute Emiliano Buendia sealed the points with nine minutes remaining, turning inside Conor Coady before smashing past Pickford at the near post.
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Villa punish wasteful Everton
Villa had been ticking along nicely under new boss Unai Emery but had hit a recent sticky patch by losing their past three games and conceding 11 goals.
They went to Merseyside to face a side who had won both their home games under their own recently appointed manager without conceding, but it was Villa who returned to winning ways - and with a welcome clean sheet.
Skipper McGinn gave the hosts an early warning when he flashed a first-time shot over from the edge of the area, but Everton took control from that point yet without any reward.
Everton's performance highlighted why they are the league's lowest goalscorers this term - with only 17 in 24 games - and they need to address their lack of cutting edge in the final third to avoid a relegation battle all the way to May.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed out again because of his hamstring injury and Maupay was fielded up top once more, but the out-of-form striker extended his barren run further.
The ex-Brighton man has scored just one goal in his past 28 league games and the closest he came was when he flicked a header wide while he also saw two further efforts kept out by Martinez.
Alex Iwobi's shot from close range also deflected into the hands of the Villa goalkeeper as Everton tried in vain to find a breakthrough.
Those missed opportunities proved pivotal and Everton's failure to take anything from the game was capitalised on by West Ham and Leeds, who both leapfrogged them out of the drop zone.
Watkins' eighth goal of the campaign punished the home side's wastefulness while Buendia converted with aplomb late on as Villa moved level on points with 10th-placed Chelsea.
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Everton
Squad number1Player namePickford
Squad number23Player nameColeman
Squad number30Player nameCoady
Squad number2Player nameTarkowski
Squad number19Player nameMykolenko
Squad number27Player nameGueye
Squad number17Player nameIwobi
Squad number16Player nameDoucouré
Squad number8Player nameOnana
Squad number7Player nameMcNeil
Squad number20Player nameMaupay
Squad number11Player nameGray
Squad number26Player nameDavies
Squad number50Player nameSimms
Aston Villa
Squad number1Player nameE Martínez
Squad number2Player nameCash
Squad number4Player nameKonsa
Squad number5Player nameMings
Squad number27Player nameDigne
Squad number7Player nameMcGinn
Squad number44Player nameKamara
Squad number6Player nameDouglas Luiz
Squad number41Player nameJ Ramsey
Squad number31Player nameBailey
Squad number11Player nameWatkins
Squad number10Player nameBuendía
Squad number15Player nameÁlex Moreno
Line-ups
Everton
Formation 4-1-4-1
- 1Pickford
- 23Coleman
- 30Coady
- 2Tarkowski
- 19Mykolenko
- 27Gueye
- 17IwobiSubstituted forGrayat 70'minutes
- 16DoucouréBooked at 75mins
- 8OnanaBooked at 2minsSubstituted forDaviesat 82'minutes
- 7McNeil
- 20MaupaySubstituted forSimmsat 76'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Holgate
- 5Keane
- 11Gray
- 13Mina
- 15Begovic
- 22Godfrey
- 26Davies
- 29Vinagre
- 50Simms
Aston Villa
Formation 4-4-2
- 1E MartínezBooked at 77mins
- 2Cash
- 4Konsa
- 5Mings
- 27DigneSubstituted forBuendíaat 61'minutes
- 7McGinn
- 44Kamara
- 6Douglas Luiz
- 41J Ramsey
- 31BaileySubstituted forMoreno Loperaat 61'minutes
- 11Watkins
Substitutes
- 9Traoré
- 10Buendía
- 15Moreno Lopera
- 16Chambers
- 18Young
- 22Durán
- 32Dendoncker
- 38Sinisalo
- 48Zych
Referee:Anthony Taylor
Attendance:39,309
Live Text
Match ends, Everton 0, Aston Villa 2.
Second Half ends, Everton 0, Aston Villa 2.
Corner, Everton. Conceded by Matty Cash.
Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Tom Davies (Everton).
Matty Cash (Aston Villa) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Demarai Gray (Everton).
Attempt missed. Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Emiliano Buendía.
Attempt saved. Demarai Gray (Everton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Hand ball by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
Foul by Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa).
Dwight McNeil (Everton) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt missed. James Tarkowski (Everton) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Dwight McNeil with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Everton. Conceded by Álex Moreno.
Substitution, Everton. Tom Davies replaces Amadou Onana.
Goal! Everton 0, Aston Villa 2. Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by John McGinn.
Hand ball by Emiliano Buendía (Aston Villa).
Attempt missed. Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Emiliano Buendía.
Emiliano Martínez (Aston Villa) is shown the yellow card.
Attempt missed. Ellis Simms (Everton) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Abdoulaye Doucouré with a cross.
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