Unai Emery endures Premier League first as Villa miss chance to match Liverpool

14 January 2024 , 17:09

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Unai Emery has finally experienced a goalless draw in the Premier League (Image: Getty Images)

Unai Emery experienced his first goalless draw as a Premier League manager on Sunday - as Aston Villa failed to win against Everton at Goodison Park.

Villa, this season's surprise package, would have gone level on points with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table had they won on Merseyside. Yet Emery's side were forced to settle for a goalless draw to remain in third, two points behind the Reds.

Before Sunday, Emery had gone 96 Premier League games without experiencing a goalless draw. That run stretched back to August 2018 when he took charge of his first competitive match in England with Arsenal. He was fired by the Gunners in November 2019.

Emery's Premier League odyssey resumed in November 2022 when Villa appointed him. The Spaniard has done a fantastic job at Villa Park - turning them from relegation candidates into title contenders - but he'll be disappointed with Sunday's result.

Villa found the back of the net in the 18th minute of the Goodison Park clash when Alex Moreno hit a superb left-footed strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. Everton protested for offside and the VAR official agreed to rule the goal out.

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The VAR review lasted four around four minutes. Gary Lineker wrote on X: "Saw there was a VAR check so thought it would be an ideal time to walk the dog. They were still looking at it after we got back... slight exaggeration but, I mean, really? So bored with it."

Aston Villa couldn't get the better of Everton's stubborn defence on Sunday (Getty Images)

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There was more frustration for Villa in the second half, as Vitaliy Mykolenko produced a superb block from point-blank range to deny Matty Cash. Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure found the net in the 88th minute, but his goal was also ruled out for offside.

Everton, meanwhile, are now one point clear of the relegation zone after ending a run of three consecutive defeats. The Toffees would be 12th in the table if it wasn't for their 10-point deduction, which has left them in danger of dropping into the Championship.

"We played OK," Everton defender James Tarkowski told the BBC at full-time. "I was at the centre of all the cuts and bruises today, but I enjoyed it. I'm just glad it's gone our way (the VAR decision). Not many have gone our way this season.

"We are still building and working towards where we want to be. The 10-point penalty is there. We have carried on playing and our job is to keep putting points on the board."

Tom Blow