By Sunny Badwal, PA
Everton let slip a two-goal lead for a second successive week as Ollie Watkins’ brace and a stunning strike from Jhon Duran helped Aston Villa come from behind to earn a 3-2 win.
The Toffees were looking to bounce back from their late collapse to Bournemouth and were two goals in front for the second week running courtesy of efforts from Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Villa were staring a second successive home defeat in the face but Watkins struck his first goal of the season to halve the deficit heading into the break.
Everton desperately tried to cling onto their lead in the second half but Watkins grabbed an equaliser with half-an-hour to go before Duran’s stunner from distance snatched the points.
Unai Emery’s men were on the front foot in the early stages and Morgan Rogers’ long-range strike was comfortably gathered by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
It was the visitors who took the lead against the run of play when former Everton midfielder Amadou Onana was caught in possession by McNeil who went on to slot the ball into the far corner.
Everton put themselves two to the good in the 27th minute courtesy of Calvert-Lewin.
McNeil turned from scorer to creator as he put a free-kick onto the head of Calvert-Lewin and he nodded home from inside the area.
The hosts pulled a goal back nine minutes before the break as another former Everton man, Lucas Digne, crossed for Watkins to head the ball past Pickford from close range.
The impressive Rogers looked to test Pickford for a second time but the England number one denied him again.
Onana did not seem to be at the races and was brought off at half-time and that seemed to make Villa more fluent in their search for an equaliser.
The home side threatened straight after the restart as Rogers was denied at point-blank range by Pickford for a third time before Jacob Ramsey’s follow-up was blocked by James Garner.
Everton looked delicate and, after Calvert-Lewin missed a golden chance to kill the game, saw a two-goal lead slip once again.
A long ball forward aimed to pick out Digne but Jack Harrison’s attempt at an interception played it into the path of Watkins who side-footed home to bring them level.
The England striker had two to his name but ought to have had a couple more.
Firstly, Rogers beat the offside trap but could not square for the outstretched Watkins before he fired wide from 10 yards.
Aston Villa hit the front in quite sensational fashion as Duran collected the ball 30 yards from goal and let fly with a superb strike that flew past the diving Pickford – his third goal after coming off the bench this season.
Everton were forced to come out of the defensive shape they had sat in for 80 minutes and almost immediately levelled.
McNeil was instrumental once again as he played in Calvert-Lewin but the Everton forward saw his effort crash off the crossbar as Sean Dyche’s side fell to a fourth successive league defeat for the first time since 1958.
