Phil Jagielka 18, Romelu Lukaku 48, Seamus Coleman 76
This is the most played fixture in English top-flight football, and to celebrate the landmark of Everton’s 100th home league game against Aston Villa the club declared a retro day.
Many would argue that every day is a retro day here, but in addition to grainy black and white images of former glories the afternoon featured nostalgic sights such as Ross Barkley, making his first appearance of the season, and Christian Benteke, starting for Villa for the first time since March.
There was even a glimpse of Joe Cole, and not only on the touchline doing stretching exercises.
Cole got on the field for the last 10 minutes to commence his Premier League career at Villa. The game had gone by then, and Cole managed little more on the field than he had off it, but you cannot put a price on fond memories.
Barkley was soon looking as if he had never been away, winning a free-kick on the edge of the area that earned Kieran Richardson the game’s first booking, then making space for a rising drive from the opposite side of the box that Brad Guzan pushed round his left‑hand upright.
Everton took the lead from the resultant corner.
The ball was worked back out to Leighton Baines, who whipped in a cross from the right that eluded Romelu Lukaku but was met instead by Phil Jagielka, able to continue his goalscoring form with a close-range header that left Guzan little chance.
“Ross was sensational, especially in his first game back,” Roberto Martínez said. “Eight days ago he wasn’t an option.
Even on Thursday I thought he might not be able to play, but he produced some phenomenal work in training in the last couple of days. That was his way of letting everyone know he was ready, and that was enough for me.”
Villa lost Nathan Baker with an ankle injury shortly after going behind, and though they kept going forward there was little for Benteke or Gabriel Agbonlahor to work with.
The right-back, Alan Hutton, was comfortably Villa’s most potent attacker, with a run and a shot midway through the first half that had Tim Howard worried for the first time, then a blistering break down the right that caught out Baines and led to a chance for Tom Cleverley that James McCarthy had to come across and intercept.
Everton came close to extending their lead five minutes from the break, when a good shot by Séamus Coleman was matched by a diving save from Guzan, yet those highlights apart the first half was a fairly humdrum affair.
The disappointing nature of the away performance was summed up by Everton’s second goal a couple of minutes into the second half. From the moment McCarthy farmed the ball out to Barkley on the left it was eminently stoppable, but Ron Vlaar did not get enough of a touch to prevent Barkley’s underhit pass reaching Lukaku, and Guzan did not get enough of a hand to an underhit shot to prevent the ball squirming beyond him and over the line.
A poor defensive effort all round, and though it will hardly rank as one of Lukaku’s most spectacular goals at least the striker was in the right place to accept the opportunity.
Everton’s most expensive acquisition is returning to something like his best, as he proved by finding the pace to reach a Gareth Barry pass down the left and the power to cut back inside and win a free-kick near the area, but it is the prospect of having Barkley back that most excites supporters.
He played for just over an hour, but Barkley gives Everton an attacking invention that they do not always possess and a useful element of surprise.
That said Everton managed to surprise Villa without him for the third goal. Leon Osman was smart enough to take a quick free-kick to send Baines round the back of a defence caught unawares, and Coleman turned up at the far post to bundle in a well-delivered low cross.
Agbonlahor had a late chance to pull a goal back, only to see Howard produce an agile reaction save from his snap shot so Everton kept their second clean sheet of the season, an important consideration for a side that, despite Sunderland, has the worst defensive record in the division.
“We were solid at the back, we stopped Villa posing a threat,” Martínez said. True enough, but Villa were extremely unthreatening opponents. “We didn’t deserve anything from the game,” Paul Lambert admitted. “All the goals were poor from our point of view and we didn’t do enough going forward.”
