Ollie Watkins scored twice, and Jhon Duran added a spectacular goal as Aston Villa came from two goals down to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Everton at Villa Park on Saturday.
Villa started strong, but Everton struck first against the run of play. Dwight McNeil capitalized on a mistake by former Everton player Amadou Onana, driving forward and firing a shot past Emiliano Martinez from the edge of the box.
Everton, winless in their first three Premier League matches, then doubled their lead before the half-hour mark when Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed in McNeil’s well-placed set-piece from close range.
However, their two-goal lead didn’t last long. Watkins ended his goal drought on his 150th Premier League appearance, heading in at the back post to cut Villa’s deficit in half.
Everton had a chance to regain their two-goal advantage when Calvert-Lewin found himself one-on-one with Martinez, but Ezri Konsa raced back to make a crucial intervention. Minutes later, Villa made them pay for the miss. Watkins expertly controlled a Youri Tielemans cross before poking the ball past Jordan Pickford for his second goal of the match, leveling the score at 2-2.
Villa completed the comeback in style when substitute Jhon Duran unleashed a stunning 30-yard strike into the top corner, putting Villa in front for the first time.
Everton came close to equalizing immediately when Calvert-Lewin’s shot rattled the underside of the bar, but Villa held on for a hard-fought three points.