ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP/Aston Villa 2 Everton 2:AN EVENING that started with Aston Villa hoping to keep alive their faint hopes of playing in the Champions League next season ended with Martin O'Neill's players clinging to European qualification of any description. Phil Jagielka's own goal in injury-time denied Everton only a second league win on this ground in 22 attempts and allowed Villa to maintain a healthy, and perhaps crucial, four-point gap over David Moyes' side in the race for the final Europa League place.
Villa’s ambitions can no longer stretch beyond taking part in that competition after this result, which leaves them seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City with five games remaining.
For long periods it looked like Everton would be breathing down their necks, but despite regaining the lead through Tim Cahill’s second headed goal, the visitors were forced to settle for a point when late Villa pressure yielded an equaliser through Jagielka.
The FA Cup semi-final defeat, and the referee Howard Webb’s part in it, was never going to be far from Villa minds and it took only 23 minutes for Martin Atkinson to anger the home supporters. His contentious decision to award a free-kick against Stephen Warnock for a challenge on Leon Osman around 25 yards from goal prompted a chorus of abuse for the official from the Holte End, and from the set-piece that followed there was a sense of inevitability that a goal would come.
And so it proved as Cahill put Everton in front with a neat header. At first glance it looked like he had been left unmarked to nod beyond a stranded Brad Friedel, but television replays showed how Richard Dunne lost his man. The central defender took his eye off Cahill for a split second and the midfielder took full advantage as he gave Dunne a slight nudge in the back to push himself away before tearing towards the six-yard box and stooping to convert his eighth goal of the season.
It was far from the first time that a confident and well-organised Everton side had threatened – Osman drew a smart save from Brad Friedel in the 14th minute with a first-time left-foot shot from the edge of the area and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov troubled the home goalkeeper from point-blank range – although Villa also had decent chances during an open and entertaining first half.
The best of those opportunities fell to Carlos Cuellar three minutes before the interval, but after James Milner forced an error from Sylvain Distin before delivering a fine cross to the back post, the Spaniard saw his downward header kept out by Tim Howard’s left hand. the Everton goalkeeper earlier turned Milner’s sweeping shot behind following a flowing move on the Villa left flank.
After the interval Villa dominated possession but struggled to penetrate the defence. However, when the first Villa equaliser did arrive it was no surprise Milner was the architect as he delivered an inviting centre that Gabriel Agbonlahor glanced past Howard from about eight yards. Everton’s response was instant. Osman raced down the other end and although Warnock’s challenge prevented a shot on goal, Cahill found space in the area from the corner that followed and for the second time headed beyond Friedel. It looked destined to be the winner until Jagielka’s faux pas.
ASTON VILLA: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock (Delfouneso 77), Petrov, Ashley Young, Milner, Downing, Agbonlahor, Carew. Subs Not Used: Guzan, Luke Young, Sidwell, Delph, Heskey, Beye. Booked: Milner, Petrov.
EVERTON: Howard, Neville, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Heitinga (Rodwell 50), Pienaar, Osman, Bilyaletdinov (Yobo 89), Cahill, Yakubu (Saha 63). Subs Not Used: Turner, Hibbert, Senderos, Wallace. Booked: Cahill, Howard.
Referee: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
