Toffees travel to Villa Park looking to improve their away form this season

Live Blog

61’ – Another corner taken short, the Blues messily clear and it’s out for another corner. Hit long this time and cleared.
Villa make three changes now, bringing on Diego Carlos, Coutinho and Tielemans ahead of their Europa Conference League game this week.

59’ – Danjuma has looked lively since coming on and the Blues win a corner. Headed on, falls to an unmarked Maupay who has his shot from point-blank range saved by Martinez, before the rebound is blocked too. 336 days since he last scored a goal, the commentators remind us.

57’ – Watkins almost makes it four as he runs in diagonally in front of Keane, but puts the ball past Pickford’s outstretched leg and the far post, before inadvertently stomping on the goalie’s foot for good measure.

53’ – Maupay sets Danjuma up for the shot, deflected wide for a corner. Garner into the box, Tarky heads over.

50’- Villa meanwhile win a corner from a deflected shot. Taken short, this time Tarkowski can head away.
Keane makes a mess of his clearance from the quick throw and it comes to Bailey who nutmegs Pickford, 3-0 to the hosts.

49’ – It’s only getting worse for the Blues as it now looks like Iwobi has pulled his left hamstring. He’s walked off on his own power, but he looks distressed and has gone to the changing room. Neal Maupay has come on for him, so it will likely be Danjuma going to the wing.

47’ – Looks like a 4-1-4-1; Onana in the holding role in front of the backline, Dobbin, Doucoure, Garner and Iwobi in front of him and Danjuma up top.

46’ – A change at the break, with Lewis Dobbin on for Idrissa Gueye, that should be a change of shape as well.
Dobbin immediately in the thick of things, nutmegs Cash but the ball runs out before he can cross it.

Halftime Thoughts – Sean Dyche and his players got nothing. They look amateur and have been completely outclassed by a well-drilled, attacking side and should consider themselves utterly lucky they haven’t shipped half a dozen goals.

45+8’ – Gueye brings down McGinn on a three-on-three break, booked.
There’s the halftime whistle, one of the worst halves of football we’ve seen the Toffees play in the last few seasons.

45+6’ – Garner drawn into the middle and again Digne in acres of space, overhits his cross this time.
Young finally wins a duel against Diaby, and was needed or else the forward would be one-on-one against Pickford.

45+4’ – Keane takes a foul on the halfway line that was needed before his man broke away in space, goes in the book.

45+3’ – Now Patterson gets into space, but his cross is hammered and nowhere near a blue shirt. So much learning yet for the youngster. Meanwhile, you expect Seamus Coleman will go straight back into the line-up.

45+1’ – Danjuma finds himself in space on the right, narrow angle, instead of trying to cut it back into the box fires it straight at the goalie, saved for a corner.
The corner is decent, but Villa regain possession.

44’ – Tarkowski got a great diagonal to Danjuma who held up the ball long enough to get support. Cross eventually makes it into the box, cleared and then Onana’s naive header back into the box is straight at the goalie.
There will be nine minutes added on, 20% of the first half, lol.

39’ – Digne showing why Everton were wrong to let him leave. From a deep freekick he puts the ball back into the six-yard box, and two Villa players cannot make contact and the chance is wasted. Everton defenders you ask? Where?
Watkins clattered into the post there, but stands up and hobbles away.

37’ – DCL will be coming off for certain now, his right cheek is so swollen he can barely see out that eye, and Arnaut Danjuma is coming on for him.

34’ – Whew! Digne delightful cross, Diaby with a thunderbolt of a volley that Pickford can just about push onto the post!
The corner is taken short again and flashed across the goal and the Blues survive. Emery has the beating of Dyche tactically in every sense so far.

30’ – The last few minutes have just been Everton hoofing crosses into the Villa box with only one blue shirt there.

26’ – Young wins a corner on the left, Iwobi to take. Martinez takes it in heavy traffic.
We’re at the 26th minute mark and applause across the ground for Michael Jones, the construction worker who passed away this week at the Bramley-Moore ground.
Villa almost take advantage through Diaby down the right again, but they dally and the shot is straight at Pickford.

22’ – Patterson has to intervene and it’s a Villa corner, short again, put back into the box and Taylor says penalty! Ball headed down towards Pickford, Watkins gets a touch on it and the goalie comes out and misses the ball and gets the man, and no doubt there, VAR confirming it.
Pickford wasting time with Luiz to take, and the England #1 has been booked. Luiz scores, Blues are in deep trouble with just a quarter of the game gone, 2-0 to Villa.