Everton Falls To Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins' Goal Marks Moyes' Unfortunate Return

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Ollie Watkins' goal in the second half led Aston Villa to a 1-0 victory over Everton, marking a disappointing start for David Moyes in his return to Goodison Park. After Sean Dyche's exit, Moyes came back nearly 12 years after his first successful tenure ended when he left for Manchester United. However, unlike his initial spell, he couldn't secure a win this time.

The England international capitalised on Morgan Rogers' pass and outpaced Jordan Pickford to score, ending Villa's streak of five consecutive away league losses. This victory allowed Villa to move up to seventh place, just three points shy of the top four. Meanwhile, Everton remained in 16th position, only a point above the relegation zone.

Moyes returned to Goodison Park after an absence of over 11 years and 241 days since his last match with Everton. Unfortunately for him, his team failed to find the net for the ninth time in their last 11 Premier League matches. This allowed Unai Emery's side to clinch their first away league win since October.

Aston Villa achieved their tenth away victory against Everton, more than against any other team in the division. Additionally, they have won their first two Premier League matches of a calendar year for the first time since 2009.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed a crucial chance to equalise during stoppage time by shooting over the bar. Despite this missed opportunity, Villa held firm and secured all three points.