Thierno Barry scored a second-half winner as Everton ended Aston Villa’s title chase of 11-match winning streak with a 1-0 Premier League win at a wet Villa Park on Sunday, a result that will be celebrated in north London.
Villa remain in third place in the table with 43 points from 22 games, seven points behind leaders Arsenal, who now have a significant lead in the title race. Everton climbs to 10th place on 32 points.
The visitor took the lead in the 59th minute when Pau Torres’ poor ball was collected by Dwight McNeil, and when the latter’s shot was parried by Emi Martinez in the home goal, Barry followed and fired the ball into the net.
Both teams hit the woodwork, Everton 11 seconds into the game. The visitor also had a goal disallowed for offside by the Video Assistant Referee.
«It was great, we worked so hard against a really good team. The boys played it out today, we had the chance and we took it,» said Everton midfielder James Garner.
“We tried to close down the passing lanes and prevent them from playing through the middle, forcing them wide,” he added.
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It was a good weekend for Arsenal, the only one of the top three to secure a point after the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest.
None of the top six teams entering the weekend managed to win, and none of the bottom five were defeated.
Everton’s excellent away form continues, in contrast to the poor performance at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium, where they won a league match at Villa Park for the first time in almost a decade.
The opener from the kick-off was denied when a long ball from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was met by Merlin Rohl and shot towards goal but hit the post.
It was the fastest any team had reached a Premier League match since records were first kept in the 2006/07 season.
Everton had the ball in the back of the net from a Jake O’Brien header, but 18-year-old Harrison Armstrong is said to have troubled an opponent from an offside position.
Villa also hit the woodwork just before half-time when Youri Tielemans’ deep cross was met by Evann Guessand, whose running header came back off the crossbar.
Published on January 19, 2026
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