Aston Villa bounced back from two goals down to claim a 3-2 win over the Toffees at Villa Park, with Ollie Watkins bagging a brace and Jhon Duran scoring a gorgeous hit in one of the most fascinating Premier League match-ups of the weekend.
Villa steered themselves back into the top four and will look to stay there till the end of the season, possibly securing UEFA Champions League football for the second consecutive campaign.
Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher is one of many backing them to be back in Europe’s premier competition at the end of the season.
“Villa will go bouncing into the Champions League,” Carragher said (via BBC) after the great comeback.
Villa secured Champions League football at the end of last term ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and have started this season positively, securing nine points from a potential 12.
Villa showed Champions League fighting spirit to take all three points today and set themselves in the top four. Dwight McNeil had opened the scoring early on before Dominic Calvert-Lewin doubled it moments later.
However, just before half-time, Watkins climbed highest to head home a Lucas Digne cross, beating Michael Keane in the air to make it 2-1.
After the break, the England international applied a neat finish to level the scores and could have had a hat-trick as he missed a gilt-edged chance late on.
However, it did not matter as Duran netted a scorcher to secure the win for manager Unai Emery.
The Colombian youngster has bounced back from a turbulent summer to deliver the goods this season with three goals from the bench.
Next, the Villains face Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday before welcoming Wolverhampton Wanderers to Birmingham during the weekend.
For Everton, alarm bells are ringing. They sit bottom of the Premier League table and have shipped 13 goals in four games. The Merseysiders need to start taking points or face the possibility of relegation at the end of the season.
