Aston Villa 3 Everton 3: Bill Howell's big match verdict

Apr 13 2009 by Bill Howell, Birmingham Mail

THE quest for the Champions League – or “Utopia” as Martin O’Neill calls it – goes on for Villa.But barring a hiccup by Arsenal of monumental proportions, or an upturn in West Ham’s fortunes on a similar scale, both Villa and Everton will be competing in the Europa League next season.

Judged on this match alone they should do the Premier League proud.

But they won’t be in the Champions League.

Neither are quite good enough to challenge the top four but they are, by some distance and over the course of a 32-game season, better than the rest.

Villa’s inability to win any of their last 10 matches, beginning with an FA Cup defeat at the hands of David Moyes’ team, has hit them hard.

Had their home form, which now reads five wins in 16 games, been anything like their form on the road then they would have pushed Liverpool and Manchester United rather closer.

Villa and Everton had already produced a five-goal thriller at Goodison Park in the reverse clash.

Once again they served up a feast with neither defence able to live with the other’s attacking threat.

Everton were often a delight with their sweeping, short passing game which twice earned them two-goal leads with a 15-minute spell of dominance mid-way through the first half.

Villa’s ploy of sending over wave after wave of aerial assaults on the Everton box got them back into the match at a time when John Carew was supreme.

But it was their free-flowing style and desire to get Ashley Young involved after they had gone 3-1 behind, when Gareth Barry was plotting their every course, that saw the home team produce as good a performance for half-an-hour as has been seen this season.

Villa started off brightly enough but after 30 minutes were staring down the barrel of an embarrassing defeat. Everton were two goals to the good and were cutting Villa apart at will.

Phil Neville’s early piledriver was tipped over the bar by Brad Friedel and for 15 minutes there were fears that a real pasting might be handed out.

Everton took the lead through Maroane Fellaini’s tap-in.

Leighton Baines’ low cross squirmed its way past Gareth Barry into the danger area.

Curtis Davies missed his attempted block and Fellaini’s finish was as easy as you like.