10/05 - 20:00
Neither Everton nor Aston Villa could find a way through each other's stubborn defences in a goalless draw at Goodison Park.
The host started off brightly in the game but it was Villa who had the ball in the Everton net 18 minutes into the game.
Alex Moreno fired a fine strike from the outside of the box low into the corner beyond the reach of Jordan Pickford.
Everton were adamant that there was an offside in the build-up and appeared to switch off by the time Moreno scored.
The goal was initially given but a very long VAR review intervened to show that Leon Bailey was marginally offside before the goal came to Moreno despite Arnaut Danjuma being on the ground in the penalty area after being grappled by Clément Lenglet.
Villa grew into the game after that with Pickford needing to make a save to stop Leon Bailey.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the best chance of the first half though when he was played through on goal. Emiliano Martínez did well to stand strong and get in the way of the Everton striker's shot. Martínez was needed a game seconds later to keep James Garner's shot away.
The second half started off in a scrappy manner with the game frequently stopped with interruptions.
Tempers also began to flare with James Tarkowski, who seemed to be enjoying getting stuck into tackles all game, starting a round of pushing and shoving after his firm challenge on Moreno.
Villa's best chance of the second half came late on when Jhon Durán couldn't get enough contact on a low cross whipped in front of goal.
Seconds after that Durán chance, it was Everton who had the ball in the net. Abdoulaye Doucouré was played through with a ball over the top and did well to keep his composure to finish but the midfielder's strike was ruled out for offside.
In the end, both had to settle with a point meaning that Villa missed out on the chance to return to second in the table.
xG: Everton (1.18) 0-0 (1.16) Aston Villa
At the 97th time of asking Unai Emery has managed a 0-0 draw in the Premier League 😮#EVEAVL pic.twitter.com/UQFWQCU3BG
— Premier League (@premierleague) January 14, 2024
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