- David Moyes’ first match back as Everton manager ends in defeat by Aston Villa
- Ollie Watkins grabs the only goal of the game as Toffees fail to score yet again
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! Why Manchester United may have to sell Kobbie Mainoo or Alejandro Garnacho
When the great Sir Alex Ferguson was replaced by the man dubbed The Chosen One in 2013, there was a song often chanted at Old Trafford. ‘Come on David Moyes, play like Fergie’s boys,’ the terraces urged – until things turned sour at least.
As Moyes came full-circle and returned to his old stomping ground of Goodison Park more than a decade later, the mantra would have been more like: ‘Come on David Moyes, do anything but play like Dychey’s boys.’
The man he replaced, Sean Dyche, got his marching orders last week after a run where they failed to score in eight of his final 10 league games. So Moyes, nearly 23 years on from his first debut here, had the chance of getting the fanbase on side early by letting his team off the leash.
The problem was this: they looked no different to some of those turgid performances under the old boss and, as Ollie Watkins fired Aston Villa to victory, the task at hand for Moyes suddenly looks a tad more difficult than it might have said on the tin.
Moyes is not to blame for any of Everton’s deficiencies given the lack of time he has had on the training pitch. And he will of course understand the aforementioned size of the job ahead to lead the Toffees to their swanky new stadium as a Premier League club.
But with them just a point ahead of the drop zone before the visit of Tottenham on Sunday and a trip to Brighton the following game, he also knows change must come with urgency – or they will start to amble towards the relegation trap-door yet again.
It was by no means a poor display but those expecting the so-called ‘new manager bounce’ to produce an immediate uptick in form were left wanting as Moyes found similar issues that have dogged Everton’s last 18 months: solid at one end but a toothless lack of creativity at the other.
The new manager’s return was rather low key with a gentle wave offered to all four corners of Goodison Park. One sensed it was a truly touching moment for Moyes, who loves this club, as he was warmly received in return – but the pleasantries ended there.
Ollie Watkins slots the ball past Jordan Henderson to seal all three points for Aston Villa
It’s a hard watch for David Moyes on his return to Goodison Park as Everton again fail to score
Dominic Calvert-Lewis finds his path blocked as he tries to find a breakthrough for his side
Watkins roars in delight as he celebrates his ninth goal of the season in all competitions
Villa were here to crash any homecoming and in search of their second new-manager scalp in a week after knocking Graham Potter out of the FA Cup on his West Ham bow. Unai Emery’s charges played well to make it three wins on the spin.
Their best early chances, though, came from Everton mistakes. The usually-spotless Jarrad Branthwaite carelessly lost the ball and needed partner James Tarkowski to bail him out, then a calamitous Ashley Young back-pass set Watkins through – only for him to pull a shot wide.
Everton’s start was almost guaranteed to be slower than it was in the first game of Moyes’s last stint, where David Unsworth opened the scoring inside the first minute in a 2-1 win over Fulham. The Scotsman was 38 and the league’s youngest boss then – now he is the oldest at 61.
Instead of 27 seconds, as it was for Everton to score back in that first Moyes debut, it took 38 minutes for them to call Emi Martinez into action. Abdoulaye Doucoure’s tame effort was easily saved after Vitalii Mykolenko’s fine cross.
Villa took the lead not long into the second half, again Branthwaite the perpetrator as he gave away possession and Morgan Rogers fed Watkins. The striker charged down on his England team-mate Pickford and confidently slotted home.
From there, Everton saw a lot of the ball in Villa’s half – but did next to nothing with it. Aimless crosses into the box, passing from side to side with no urgency. Orel Mangala saw one saved by Martinez in stoppage time — just their third shot on target — and Dominic Calvert-Lewin also skied one over.
Emery’s side were far from their best but put in an efficient display and that, coupled with the usual poor finishing from Everton, was enough to ruin Moyes’s homecoming. Work to do.
