Everton earned a tense 1-0 Premier League win at Aston Villa, ending several long runs. Thierno Barry struck in the 59th minute at Villa Park, stopping Unai Emery’s team from going second. The result halted Villa’s 11-game home winning streak in the league and gave Everton a first top-flight victory over Villa since March 2016, snapping a 13-match run without success.
The visitors almost stunned Villa straight from kick-off, hitting the post after only 11 seconds. Everton then thought they had scored before the break, when Jake O'Brien headed in, but the effort was ruled out. Officials judged that Harrison Armstrong interfered from an offside position, so the assistant’s flag cut short those early celebrations for David Moyes’ side.
This win continued
a strong away pattern for Everton in the Premier League this season. Only Arsenal, with six victories, have collected more away wins than Everton’s five. Since David Moyes’ first away league game back in charge in January 2025, Everton have claimed 10 away league wins, a tally matched only by Arsenal during the same spell.
David Moyes highlighted the importance of resilience after a demanding spell for the squad. Moyes told Sky Sports: "It was magnificent. It's been a pretty difficult week for us, but we got over that, Moyes told Sky Sports. Coming here is never easy. The boys started well, and we took confidence from it. We hit the post right away. Overall, I'm really pleased with the performance. "
Moyes also underlined the value of Everton’s defensive focus and sharp reaction in attack. Moyes said: "We want to make more chances. We didn't create loads. The clean sheet is why we could nick the game. They made a mistake. Dwight [McNeil] got a shot on target, and the centre-forward is following it up. Some credit to the players. It's in the DNA at Everton; we can dig wins out. "
Barry’s goal at Villa Park continued a sharp upturn in form in front of goal. After scoring just once in the first 18 Premier League appearances, Barry has now found the net three times in the last four games. Barry moved to four league goals for the season, which is more than any other Everton player, level with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye.
Speaking to BBC MOTD, Barry explained the importance of taking that single clear chance in a tight contest. Barry said: "I am very happy. I scored again, and we won, Barry told BBC MOTD. All is perfect today. It is my job, and I need to score. I didn't score a lot, but I always tried to score. Today I had one chance, and I put it in, so I am happy. "
The narrow victory at Villa Park strengthened Everton’s away reputation and checked Aston Villa’s momentum near the top of the table. It also confirmed Barry’s growing influence in attack and underlined the organised structure Moyes has built on the road. With key streaks broken, Everton left Birmingham with a vital win and increased confidence for the coming fixtures.
