Premier League news - Aston Villa beat sluggish Everton to take first league points

The home side went into the match looking for their first point since being promoted to the Premier League and goals from Wesley and Anwar El Ghazi assured they took all three.

Villa looked sluggish in the opening 15 minutes and were horribly outplayed by the visitors who piled on the pressure.

Everton were disappointed early on when Jack Grealish made clumsy contact with Richarlison in the box, but a penalty was not awarded.

Going further into the first half, Villa’s summer acquisition Jota, who signed from local rivals Birmingham City in June, looked sharp and made his presence known with some impressive footwork.

In fact it was Jota’s diagonal ball into the box that found fellow-newbie Wesley, who slotted it past the keeper to give the home side the advantage.

Villa dominated the rest of the first half, but neither team settled into a rhythm after the interval as the hosts took their foot off the gas and Everton were unable to take advantage.

The second half remained scrappy and though the double substitution of Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean gave Everton an immediately fresher feel, they were unable to find an answer, though the former was unlucky to see his left-footed effort come back off the Villa post.

In the end it was Villa who triumphed after El Ghazi nudged a last-minute effort past Pickford to double his side’s lead. Villa are boosted six places by the victory to 11th place, two places behind Everton who remain ninth.

Villa Park was bouncing again on Friday night after their summer signings gave fans a reason to be cheerful. Meanwhile Everton’s recent acquisitions may take a little longer to find their feet, with Moise Kean’s contributions limited this evening to giving away free-kicks.

The Spaniard looked to be on fine form as he deftly found his way around the Everton defence, making some key contributions to the match. Jota provided an assist on the first goal and made some fine runs after stealing possession.

Aston Villa: Heaton 6, Guilbert 6, Engels 6, Mings 7, Taylor 6, Douglas Luiz 7, Trezeguet 7, McGinn 6, Grealish 7, Jota 8, Wesley 7. Subs: El Ghazi 7, El Mohamady 5,

Everton: Pickford 6, Coleman 6, Keane 6, Mina 7, Digne 7, Schneiderlin 6, Andre Gomes 6, Richarlison 7, G Sigurdsson 6, Bernard 6, Calvert-Lewin 7. Subs: Walcott 5, Iwobi 7, Kean 6.

21’ GOAL! Jota crosses to Wesley on the edge of the box who runs in and slots the ball straight past the keeper into the far corner.

83’ CLOSE! Iwobi fires through the defence and it just hits the post. Unlucky.

90+5’ GOAL! That's the game ... Anwar El Ghazi latched onto John McGinn's through-ball, nudged the ball past Andre Gomes and slipped the ball under Pickford to double Villa's lead.