Aston Villa's hopes of claiming second place in the Premier League were derailed as Everton secured a hard-fought 1-0 win at Villa Park.
The Toffees' victory, thanks in large part to a costly error from Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, ensured that the Midlands club dropped to third in the league table. Thierno Barry was the hero for Everton, capitalising on a mistake by Martinez to score the only goal of the game after 65 minutes.
The win marked a deserved success for the visitors, who had been looking for a boost ahead of their next match. Villa, meanwhile, will be left to ponder what could have been if they had not conceded so freely in the second half. Manager Steven Gerrard was left to lament his team's mistakes, saying "We can't keep repeating this story".
The Toffees' victory, thanks in large part to a costly error from Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez, ensured that the Midlands club dropped to third in the league table. Thierno Barry was the hero for Everton, capitalising on a mistake by Martinez to score the only goal of the game after 65 minutes.
The win marked a deserved success for the visitors, who had been looking for a boost ahead of their next match. Villa, meanwhile, will be left to ponder what could have been if they had not conceded so freely in the second half. Manager Steven Gerrard was left to lament his team's mistakes, saying "We can't keep repeating this story".
i mean i know they're still 3rd but 2nd place feels like a pipe dream now 
and that goal from Emi Martinez? ugh so costly 
thierno barry was a lifesaver for everton lol, poor villa just can't catch a break 
steven Gerrard is right tho, they need to sort out their defence ASAP or it's gonna be tough to get back into title contention 
That Emi Martinez is a mess! How did he let that goal in? 
Thierno Barry scored easy peasy. Everton deserved that win, but it's sad for Villa fans who were hoping for a second place finish now they're third. Guess Gerrard has some work to do with his team's defense... 
This season is getting more and more intense... 
still got to give credit to everton though, they played some solid footy and got the win 
thierno barry was clutch when it counted 
️ really frustrating for Villa, thought they were gonna take 2nd place with ease... Martinez's error cost them big time 
gerard's got to do better than that, can't keep saying "we can't repeat this story" just a few more mistakes and you're outta contention 
I mean, it's all about perspective, right? They were already strong contenders for second place, and now they've got some experience under their belt. Plus, Gerrard's team has been playing really well, so this is just a minor setback 
But still, gotta wonder what could've been if Villa had just kept their cool. Guess you can't blame Gerrard too much, though - he's already owning up to his team's mistakes 
and it's just another reminder how clutch Everton is right now. gotta respect steven gerrard for speaking up about the team's mistakes tho 
we'll see how villa recovers from this loss 
second half they just cant seem to get anything going in the attacking third and now evilton's taking 3rd place outta their hands 
but now they need 2 sort out their defense & midfield too 
gerrard should be all like "what's wrong with my team?!" 
. It's frustrating because I know Gerrard is better than this... he's still got that fire in him 
. Still, you've gotta give credit to Thierno Barry for capitalizing on that mistake - what a game-winner! 
. The way his goal came from that mistake is wild 
. Gerrard's comments after the match make sense, they gotta sort out those mistakes ASAP or else 2nd place might just slip away 
Thierno Barry scored the goal and Everton celebrated like they won the league lol 
. Steven Gerrard is so right tho, his team's gotta step up their game if they wanna make a comeback 
... third place is not where they want to be 
still proud of them for giving it their all tho