Emiliano Martínez denies Everton and Grealish to secure a point for Aston Villa

Is it a crisis? Probably not. But Aston Villa’s season has, putting it mildly, not started well. Their quest to become the 162nd and final of the teams in England’s top seven divisions to score in 2025-26 fell flat in a goalless draw against Everton. More worryingly for Unai Emery is that his team largely look devoid of ideas, lacking the zip and intensity that has brought them their recent relative success.

Everton’s one moment of real alarm was when Emi Buendía hit a second-half strike from just outside the area. It took a huge nick off of James Tarkowski and, with Jordan Pickford flailing, went wide. That was it.

Emery has plenty of credit banked given what he has built in the nearly three years since he was appointed and it is generally accepted that the financial regulations have made life exceedingly difficult for Villa. They are essentially Newcastle, but a year behind. And yet Emery still has questions to answer. Include May’s defeat at Manchester United and Villa have failed to score in five Premier League games.

As of Everton, well, unlike most services connecting London and Birmingham to the north-west, their hype-train has left the station well before time. Yes, they have improved dramatically under David Moyes. Yes, they are no longer dour to watch. But talk of European football is premature. They have made a decent start to this season, but that is all it is. They ought to have won here and did not. Then again, they ought to have lost in their first game in this new waterside residence against Brighton and won it.

What spectators witnessed was exactly where Everton are at. Solid, with a few touches of flair. It is an old-school set-up : find Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish and see what they can conjure up. Nowt wrong with it, mind.

What they would give for a centre-forward of note, though. Beto’s opening 10 minutes can be summarised like this: first, Ndiaye drove forward, centred a low cross that Beto met with his right foot and then blocked with his left; next Beto was needlessly offside from a chipped Grealish back-post cross; finally, Tarkowski’s long-ball forward was misjudged by Tyrone Mings. A good touch and Beto was favourite to score. His touch was awful. Few of the 50,000 present were surprised.

It was perhaps inevitable that Grealish would shine. Something old of Villa’s, an Everton newbie borrowed from Manchester City, calves bulging in blue. “You’re not super any more,” sang the visiting corner. It was, at best, half-hearted.

His volley midway before the break was saved by Emiliano Martínez’s legs and generally, wherever he went, two or three in claret followed. He teased them all afternoon. Emery stood and watched the first half wearing a pained expression. Rightly so.

Morgan Rogers’s attempted outside-of-the foot through ball that was completely scuffed summed up their efforts. The pre-match criticism of Villa’s starting XI looked justified. It screamed ‘stick-in-it-for-an-hour, lads’ and then we will add some flair.

It was little surprise, then, that Emery removed a midfielder, Youri Tielemans, and introduced an attacker, Evann Guessand, after some half-time pondering. In fairness, Villa did improve, Guessand adding some previously lacking presence.

Emery’s decision to reinstate Martínez was well justified. From Grealish’s cross, Michael Keane’s header looked perfect only for Martínez to tip it over via the crossbar.

Beto again ought to have scored minutes into the second half. Instead, he failed to properly connect with James Garner’s cross. His removal 15 minutes from the end was met with a warm reception. His effort is endearing, but it was the type of part-encouragement, part-sympathy applause usually reserved for the child destined to finish last at school sports day.

His replacement, Thierno Barry, could have won it late on. He raced away after an Ezri Konsa mistake. Fortunately for Villa, Mings matched Barry’s stride and blocked the shot.

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