Barry Strikes As Everton End Villa's Long Winning Run

Everton produced yet another superb away performance to record a 1-0 away victory over Aston Villa – ending their hosts' 11-game winning run on home soil.

Thierno Barry notched the all-important goal just before the hour, cooly clipping the ball over Emi Martinez from close range after the Villa goalkeeper failed to hold on to Dwight McNeil's initial shot.

The clean sheet was the Blues' third consecutive shut-out on the road – the first time they have managed that feat since May 2021 – and a fifth in their past six Premier League away games.

FIRST HALF

David Moyes made two changes from the side that started the FA Cup tie last time out, with former Villan Jack Grealish – available again after serving a one-match suspension – and Barry recalled in place of Tyler Dibling and Beto.

Underlining the depth of Moyes' selection headaches, the Blues boss was only able to name eight substitutes, including two goalkeepers, with seven Senior Team players missing through either AFCON participation, injuries or suspension.

A fire display and claret and blue smoke filled the air as the two teams made their way on to the pitch at Villa Park ahead of kick-off – and Everton came agonisingly close to producing a flying start.

There were just 11 seconds on the clock when Merlin Röhl saw his prodded effort cannon off the inside of the post and into the grateful arms of Villa goalkeeper Martinez, after Barry had done well to lay-off a long ball forward from Jordan Pickford straight from kick-off.

While that near-miss temporarily dampened a raucous home atmosphere, the hosts produced their first moment of promise on five minutes, when Emi Buendia darted down the left channel and produced a cut-back for Morgan Rogers, who could only divert his first-time shot high over the crossbar.

Röhl was proving to be an influential figure in the Toffees' attack and it was the German midfielder – operating in a central role alongside Harrison Armstrong and the slightly deeper James Garner – at the heart of things again just after half an hour, expertly losing his marker before driving forward and laying off to Vitalii Mykolenko, whose shot from the edge of the penalty area was acrobatically palmed over by Martinez.

Everton had the ball in the net from the resulting corner, Garner's in-swinging delivery after a short pass from Grealish superbly nodded home by Jake O'Brien – but the offside flag was raised, with VAR confirming the on-field decision that Armstrong had interfered with play.

O'Brien – once again in his preferred position of centre-back – produced a crucial moment at the other end moments later, blocking Morgan Rogers' goal-bound effort after a sweeping counter-attack down Villa's left flank.

Substitute Evann Guessand, who earlier replaced the injured John McGinn, surprised most inside Villa Park when his looping header from Youri Tielemans' clipped cross came down in time strike the crossbar before the Toffees scrambled the ball to safety.

SECOND HALF

Unai Emery's side started the second period brightly and threatened five minutes after the restart, but Tielemans miscued his header well wide from a tempting Buendia cross.

The deadlock was finally broken as the contest approached the hour – and it came as the Blues clinically capitalised on a sloppy passage of defensive play from the hosts.

Pau Torres' slip first presented the ever-energetic McNeil with a chance from the edge of the penalty area and when Martinez failed to hold on to that curling shot, Barry was on hand to profit, delicately clipping the ball over the Argentine and into the net to send 3,000 travelling Evertonians into raptures.

Given Villa's superb home form, a reaction was a given, but Everton defended their penalty area flawlessly.

That was emphasised when the Blues dealt with a dangerous corner and the ball fell to Rogers, whose speculative curling shot from 25 yards – which was tipped around the post by Pickford at full stretch – was as close as the home side came to getting on the scoresheet.

Always a historic fixture – the most-played fixture in English top-flight football with this the 216th meeting between the two sides – this was Everton's day, and after nine away wins from 19 games under Moyes in 2025, the first triumph on the road in 2026 sees Moyes' side climb back into the top half of the table and just four points outside the top four positions.