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  • Carew (33), Milner (55), Barry (66 pen)
  • Fellaini (19), Cahill (23), Pienaar (53)
  • Date:2009-04-12
  • Kick-off:14:00
  • Venue:Villa Park
  • Attendance:40188
  • Referee:Webb, H

Live Commentary

90mins

FULL-TIME: ASTON VILLA 3-3 EVERTON. The referee brings to an end this thrilling, end-to-end game at Villa Park.

90mins

Amazing cross from Petrov with the outside of his boot forces Baines to make a desperate clearance, probably the last action of the game.

90mins

Delfouneso nearly gets the winner for Villa but Howard makes a great save to deny the youngster.

90mins

Four minutes of added time and there is still plenty of time for a winner.

89mins

Everton throw in which Phil Neville launches into the box, Saha manages to get a shot away but it goes over the Villa bar.

87mins

Villa nearly nick it! Milner's cross is flicked on by Carew but Delfouneso can't quite reach it and it goes out for an Everton goal kick.

84mins

Saha nearly gets an opportunity but Villa manage to clear, I still fancy a winner in this game but who will score it is anyone's guess.

83mins

There is a short stoppage in play as Jagielka goes down injured but I think he'll be ok too continue for Everton.

82mins

Everton win a free kick mid way in the Villa half but Phil Neville plays it too close to Friedel who catches easily.

80mins

Jo replaced by Louis Saha for Everton in a like-for-like swap.

79mins

Ashley Young laid the ball off to Milner but his shot is charged down, Villa win another free kick but Zat Knight's headed attempt from the cross goes just wide.

78mins

Phil Neville booked for dissent after complaining about a free kick decision, Villa have a free kick just outside the box.

77mins

A tame shot from Delfouneso goes straight into Tim Howard's hands.

74mins

Ashley Young shoots just wide after Carew set him up for the shot.

71mins

Aston Villa are on the front foot as you would expect after coming back from two goals down, I wouldn't count Everton out yet though and they still look capable of nicking a winner.

69mins

Everton win a corner which Shorey clears.

67mins

Eveton get straight back on the attack and Jo has his own shout for a penalty but the referee rules no foul, which was the correct decision in my opinion.

66mins

ASTON VILLA 3-3 EVERTON: Gareth BARRY smashes the ball home from the penalty spot.

65mins

Villa penalty after Lescott raises his boot and hits Petrov in the head.

64mins

Lars Jacobsen replaces Tony Hibbert for Everton, perhaps protecting Hibbert from getting sent off which would rule him out of next week's FA Cup semi-final.

63mins

Everton corner taken by Leon Osman, Cahill manages to get his head to it but his effort goes wide of the Villa goal.

61mins

Finally Howard deals with a corner as he gathers Milner's cross.

60mins

Villa corner taken by Young, Osman clears pretty much on the line but questions have to be asked of Howard - he just isn't judging the flight of the ball.

57mins

I can hardly keep up with this! The Everton goal was against the run of play but Milner responded fantastically for Villa, with 30 minutes left to go I'm expecting more goals.

55mins

ASTON VILLA 2-3 EVERTON: What a game! Cahill is punished for a foul on Barry and MILNER steps up to take the free kick, he unleashes an imense shot from range and scores a cracking goal.

54mins

Nathan Delfouneso replaces Gabriel Agbonlahor for Villa due to injury.

53mins

ASTON VILLA 1-3 EVERTON: A great shot on the turn from the South African Steven Pienaar doubles Evertons lead.

52mins

Everton make their first foray forward of the half but Davies clears for Villa, this is a finely poised contest and it could go either way.

50mins

A decent effort from A Young from the free kick but it goes just over the Everton bar.

50mins

Villa really pushing for the equaliser now, they have a free kick on the edge of the box after Jagielka brought down Agbonlahor.

47mins

Again Young goes down under Hibbert's challenge in the box and Webb waves play on, he might have had a case for a penalty this time but Young was looking for the decision.

46mins

Villa immediately on the attack through Young, he goes down under Hibbert's challenge in the penalty area but referee Howard Webb quite rightly awards Everton a goal kick.

45mins

Villa get the second half underway, lets hope the second 45 minutes is as good as the first.

45mins

Half time: ASTON VILLA 1-2 EVERTON

45mins

Hibbert is lucky not to be given a second yellow card after a foul on A Young.

45mins

Just a minute of added time too play, I for one don't want this half too end it has been a cracking game so far.

44mins

Young's cross is cleared for a corner by Howard, perhaps unconvincingly, but the ball goes out of play for an Everton goal kick.

43mins

Villa win their third corner in quick sucession, Everton eventually manage to get the ball clear.

42mins

Neville clears for a corner after taking the ball from Carew's feet, Barry swings it in and Villa win another corner.

40mins

Absolute liquid football from Everton! Pienaar, Cahill and Jo link up well but Jo's shot is cleared but a corner, which comes to nothing.

37mins

Some lovely skill from Jo too keep possesion in midfield for Everton, how Man City couldn't get anything out of him I'll never know because he has looked decent so far today.

36mins

Barry's cross is just behind Agbonlahor and Everton clear, this is a really open game now and I'm expecting a few more goals.

35mins

Did Villa need that! They look re-energised now and Howard looks a bit shaky in the Everton goal it has to be said.

32mins

ASTON VILLA 1-2 EVERTON: Game on! CAREW slams the ball home from close range after Howard fails to deliver with a cross.

32mins

Very nearly the curse of the commentator then, Baines was given far too much room and he slipped in a ball towards Jo which Davies did well too intercept for Villa.

30mins

All credit to Villa, they seem to have rediscovered their composure but Everton are so well organised it is going to take a massive effort for them to get back into this.

28mins

Young takes a corner for Villa which Howard fails to deal with, fortunately for the Everton keeper his defence clear and spare his blushes.

27mins

Villa Park has been silenced by those two quick-fire Everton goals, not surprisingly Villa look a little shocked but they've won a free kick as HIBBERT is booked for a challenge on Agbonlahor.

25mins

Villa win a free kick and the ball is floated into the Everton box by Milner, the away side clear though and Villa need something quickly to get back into this game.

22mins

ASTON VILLA 0-2 EVERTON: Cahill's shot is pushed out for a corner by Friedel but the Aussie scores from the corner after his first header come back off the bar he meets the rebound and this time gets it on target.

21mins

Milner unleashes a vicious shot from distance but Howard is up to the test in the Everton goal.

20mins

Pienaar hits a shot from about 20 yards but it goes just wide of the Villa goal.

18mins

ASTON VILLA 0-1 EVERTON: Some good work and quick feet by Jo starts the attack, the ball comes to Baines who hits a low cross across the goal and Fellaini scores with a simple tap in.

16mins

Villa defend the corner well but Everton maintain possesion until Cahill is judged to be offside.

15mins

Everton win a corner that should have been a Villa goal kick, the ball comes out to Phil Neville who hits a decent shot that Friedel has to tip over the bar.

14mins

Lescott blocks Agbonlahor's cross after Villa made a quick break, good work from the Everton centre-half.

13mins

Osman's shot is smothered by Luke Young after a nice build up by Everton.

10mins

Both teams looking to get forward in these opening ten minutes, both sides need to win if they're to have any hope of Champions League qualification so lets hope we see a few goals.

9mins

Villa free kick after Hibbert takes down A Young, Young takes the free kick himself but he wastes it and sends it high and wide.

8mins

Another Villa corner after oLescott clears, Young takes the kick but the referee spots a foul and awards Everton a free kick in their own box.

7mins

Villa win a corner after Gareth Barry's cross is cleared by Hibbert, the resulting corner comes to nothing.

5mins

Some good interplay between Fellaini and Pienaar but the Villa defence deal with the danger and clear through Milner.

3mins

Jo has just been caught offside for Everton, not sure if he was myself. The Merseysiders are putting on all the pressure at the moment.

1mins

Everton have got forward twice in these early stages but as yet no chances for either side.

0mins

Everton get the game under way at Villa Park. This is the most played fixture in the top-flight of English football for all you stat fans out there.

0mins

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Lescott, Jagielka, Baines, Osman, Neville, Cahill, Pienaar, Fellaini, Jo. Subs: Nash, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Saha, Jacobsen, Rodwell, Gosling.

0mins

Aston Villa: Friedel, Luke Young, Davies, Knight, Shorey, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew. Subs: Guzan, Sidwell, Delfouneso, Salifou, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Albrighton.

Match Preview

Aston Villa's desperate run of form means Sunday's game against Everton sees them attempting to hold on to fifth place rather than challenging Arsenal for fourth.

Since winning 2-0 at Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of February, Villa have failed to taste victory in any of their last nine matches in all competitions and have lost their last four league games, conceding 12 goals in the process.

They are now only one point above Everton, although Sunday's display in Sunday's 3-2 defeat at Manchester United pleased boss Martin O'Neill.

He said after the five-goal thriller: "That was very hard to take. We were splendid throughout the game. We went behind and came roaring back to take the lead.

"The irony of it all was I thought we were fantastic - really brilliant. We should take great confidence from that."

Emile Heskey, Steven Sidwell (both hamstring) and Martin Laursen (knee) are all very doubtful for Sunday's crunch game.

In contrast to Villa, Everton have hit form at exactly the right time and are particularly potent away from Goodison Park.

They have lost only four away games all season - only the top four have a better record - but have also now remembered how to win on Merseyside.

Sunday's 4-0 drubbing of Wigan Athletic was their fourth successive home victory in the league and seventh in all competitions.

Boss David Moyes believes his side is good enough to clinch a top-four spot, saying after the demolition of the Latics: "The Champions League is still there for us, we aren't going to give up.

"Arsenal have got the points and are coming in to form with players back from injury, but we won't give up."


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Match Report

Only a Gareth Barry penalty saved Aston Villa from yet another defeat after Everton had produced an impressive goalscoring display.

The draw keeps Villa in fifth place, just one point ahead of Everton, who gave themselves a welcome boost ahead of next Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

In a pulsating encounter, only a courageous fightback on the part of Villa enabled them to restore some recent lost pride.

They were two goals down in the first half through Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill and Villa fans feared the worst as their favourites were seemingly heading for their fifth successive defeat.

But big John Carew put them back on course only for the hugely talented South African Steven Pienaar to give Everton a 3-1 lead.

James Milner scored direct from a free-kick and then Barry slammed home the face-saving penalty to rob Everton of their first away win since Boxing Day when they won at Middlesbrough.

The game certainly lived up to its high-scoring reputation with Villa fully aware that it was Everton who began their problems way back in February in the FA Cup when they gained revenge for the 3-2 home defeat inflicted by the Birmingham club in December.

But Everton, winners of three of their previous four games and in smart goalscoring form with ten goals in this period, were also up for the fight and in the space two minutes seemingly destroyed Villa.

With tiny Leon Osman showing some fine skill Everton opened up the Villa in alarming fashion, but the destruction of the home side still came as a big surprise.

Skipper Philip Neville, making his 400th league appearance, began Everton's sudden surge.

He picked up a half-hearted Zat Knight clearance and hammered in a rising drive which Brad Friedel tipped over the bar.

This incident appeared to inject Villa's defence with a dose of unadulterated panic.

Jo was always a slippery customer and he set up Leighton Baines to produce a left-wing cross which Fellaini forced home from close range in the 20th minute.

The goal was a massive shock to Villa's system and Pienaar went just wide with a rasping shot.

But there was no respite for Villa as in the 22nd minute, Cahill popped up for ninth goal of the season.

Pienaar provided a the cross from the left which Cahill headed against the bar and then headed in the rebound.

Despite the shock of going two goals behind, Villa attempted to repair the damage and pulled back a goal in the 33rd minute when Carew notched his 13th goal of the campaign.

Milner's right-wing cross was knocked back by Barry to Gabby Agbonlahor and the ball went into the path of Carew to lash his close-range shot past Tim Howard.

Any hopes of a Villa revival were seemingly dented in the 53rd minute when Pienaar collected a short pass from Neville, hoodwinked Luke Young and left Friedel flat-footed with an accurate 20-yard shot.

Villa, however, stormed back into contention when Milner lashed a 25-yard free-kick past Howard for his sixth goal of the season after Joleon Lescott had brought down Carew.

Lescott was in further trouble in the 65th minute when he attempted a high kick clearance only to impede Stiliyan Petrov to concede a penalty which Barry blasted into the roof of the net to set up a hectic finish.

Aston Villa

Everton

Corners

117

Fouls

915

Goal attempts

1610

Shots off target

73

Offsides

32

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