Everton 2 Aston Villa 3
James Milner’s knock-down after a foraging run from Luke Young and smashed a 20-yarder beyond Tim Howard.
It was some way to celebrate the birth of his second child earlier in the week.
It may have been 21 seconds behind Ledley King’s goal for Spurs against Bradford eight years ago but it was still memorable and mighty stuff.
Villa toyed for 25 minutes with the hosts but took their feet off the gas around the time that Brad Friedel kept Villa’s noses in front with a double save.
Tim Cahill got goal-side of Carlos Cuellar and fired too close to the American to really hope to level, then Friedel kept out Marouane Fellaini’s header from the resultant corner.
Everton’s fans were screaming for a penalty when Milner collided with Victor Anichebe in the penalty area, but the Villa midfielder got the benefit of the doubt.
Everton’s dominance led to an almost inevitable equaliser when Mikel Arteta’s free-kick was flicked on by Leon Osman allowing Lescott the simplest of tap-ins for his first.
The goal broke a fine defensive sequence for Villa, who had not conceded in over 300 minutes of Premier League football since Tuncay Sanli scored for Middlesbrough at Villa Park.
O’Neill’s side were being outplayed and could thank their lucky stars that Cuellar was in the right place at the right time to head off the goal-line from Fellaini, who had risen highest to Steven Pienaar’s cross.
Right at the start of the second half Friedel produced a blinding save to tip Fellaini’s point-blank header on to the crossbar with the Everton player three yards out and totally unmarked.
But a schoolboy error from Phil Jagielka handed Villa the initiative once again.
The centre-back’s suicidal back-pass, under no pressure, was telegraphed by Ashley Young who raced to the edge of the box and then chipped the ball over Tim Howard with ease. Young should have capitalised on some woeful refereeing from Martin Atkinson, who failed to spot Gareth Barry yanking back Arteta on the half-way line, but dallied and allowed Everton to clear through Joseph Yobo.
Yobo sent a header inches wide then Tim Cahill’s flick-on was scissor-kicked into the net by Lescott in the third minute of stoppage time, which seemingly stole a share of the points.
But seconds after he had celebrated infront of the Villa fans he was left red-faced when Gabby Agbonlahor – making his 100th Premier League appearance – played Ashley Young straight through the middle and he finished with panache to allow Villa to nose ahead 71-70 in the all-time league record between the sides.
For the second year running we had witness an incredible end to a titanic tussle that will serve once again to fire Villa’s quest to pip Arsenal, who they meet on Boxing Day at Villa Park.
