Chris Beesley picks out some Moments Missed from Everton's goalless draw with Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium
For the first time at Hill Dickinson Stadium, there were no goals, but Everton's clash with Aston Villa was still an encounter full of incident and Chris Beesley picks out some potential moments missed.
Supporters fulfil Moyes stadium wish
After 133 years at Goodison Park, Evertonians are still getting to grips with Hill Dickinson Stadium but many have observed already that it already feels like home and there was one moment during a lull in the action midway through the second half that epitomised the notion.
Writing in his programme notes, ahead of the inaugural Premier League fixture on the Mersey waterfront, Blues boss David Moyes said: “There will be lots of new experiences today. You’ll all be getting used to new seats, new matchday rituals and new facilities.
READ MORE: 'Hype train left too soon' - national media all say same thing as Everton frustrated by Aston Villa
“What I know won’t change is the way you’ve supported the team over all the years at Goodison Park. The move here wouldn’t be worthwhile if we didn’t bring the soul of Goodison Park with us to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
“We know we have to earn your support and we understand that watching a winning team is really important in generating that atmosphere. We hope to make this a stadium which is difficult for our visitors to play in, a phrase so many said about Goodison.”
It’s still very much early days on the converted Bramley-Moore Dock site, but that ‘soul’ has well and truly been transported those two miles from Walton to Vauxhall and with a third more ‘souls’ inside Hill Dickinson Stadium than Goodison, that roar can be even louder thanks to the acoustics of the venue that Dan Meis designed to have the best of both worlds with steep, intimate stands in a modern setting. We already saw this week with the 1878s group draping the ‘Everton are Magic’ flag, that used to cover a significant chunk of the Gwladys Street in the colossal South Stand, just how much of an increase in scale this venue represents.
But atmospheres are never forced with Blues supporters and it’s those moments of spontaneity that are telling. There were about 63 minutes on the clock and Aston Villa pair Emiliano Martinez and Lucas Digne were both down receiving treatment after one of several goalmouth scrambles at their end and the home fans burst into a hearty rendition of ‘Spirit of the Blues’ that reverberated around the 52,769 capacity arena.
This came on the day of the venue’s first goalless stalemate, but it was a spine-tingling and tantalising snippet of the kind of noise that lies ahead here when the action on the pitch can really have the place rocking. An additional moment of note regarding the crowd also occurred in the 34th minute, when Evertonians burst into applause to honour the memory of one of their own, Paul Marrion, who died aged just 34, shortly after watching his beloved Blues defeat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0.
Hundreds of heart-felt tributes have poured in for Paul, including one from Everton CEO Angus Kinnear, who sent his “sincerest condolences” to his parents in a letter.
New Everton tactic
Moyes often cut a frustrated figure last season when it came to trying to improve Everton’s set-pieces, pulling no punches in the final month of the campaign by declaring: “It’s been rubbish,” so perhaps the Blues have embarked on a maverick new tactic?
Although the hosts were knocking on the Aston Villa door for most of the afternoon, they ultimately couldn’t force a way through, but it wasn’t for the want of trying. Everton’s desperation to try and break the deadlock was perhaps best exemplified when a James Garner shot in front of the South Stand goal was deflected wide for a corner kick.
The stand-in auxiliary left-back went to one side of the pitch to try and take a corner while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was over on the opposite wing, with a separate ball, ready to put in his own delivery. In the end, referee Simon Hooper, who many thought producing a testing display, ruled that the former Chelsea man had it right, but it wasn’t the only such blooper from the edge of the pitch as Villa’s Matty Cash also delivered an outrageous foul throw which is pretty poor form for a Premier League full-back.
Old Trafford old boys
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Moyes hinted that the aforementioned Garner might not be coming to the end of his current contract this season after all due to a potential extension clause on the four-year deal he signed with Everton in 2022 when joining from Manchester United. It’s one to watch in the coming months, especially given the player’s versatility as he showed again when deputising for the injured Vitalii Mykolenko with Moyes claiming he has “no idea” when the Ukraine international will be fit again.
Despite being a native Merseysider having been born in Birkenhead, Garner had been with the Red Devils from Under-8s level and there were plenty at Old Trafford who were sorry to see him go. One individual who appears to remain close to him is Aston Villa substitute Victor Lindelof who spent eight years at United himself.
After making a transfer deadline day move after his contract expired, the Sweden international came on in the 83rd minute to make his debut for Unai Emery’s side. Despite the spiky nature of the contest, before entering the fray, Lindelof had given Garner a warm embrace as the Everton player took the field for the start of the second half.
The Cork Cafu
When this correspondent first started calling Jake O’Brien ‘The Cork Cafu’, it was perhaps a little more tongue in cheek than my ‘Carlisle Kaiser’ moniker for Jarrad Branthwaite but with every passing week, Moyes’ giant converted right-back looks more accomplished in the role.
By all accounts, O’Brien endured a tough night with the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday as a 2-1 defeat in Armenia effectively ended any remaining hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals. But the 6ft 6in put those disappointments behind him here with another buccaneering display, charging up the flank from deep.
It’s not just O’Brien’s physicality that causes opponents a headache though, he’s got the archetypal “good touch for a big man,” and a little bit more too. There was one moment where he flipped the ball up before leaving a couple of Villa players in his wake and another when he executed an audacious back heel by the opposition corner flag as his confidence continues to grow.