Mail Online

MIGHTY MINGS MAKES POINT

Sacked skipper comes to Villa’s rescue after earning a recall

By Tom Collomosse AT VILLA PARK

STEVEN GERRARD and Frank Lampard spent their playing careers challenging for the greatest prizes in the game but judging by this encounter, they will have to settle for something slightly less glamorous in the months ahead.

This was the first time these two great midfielders, who won 220 England caps between them, had crossed swords on the touchline and first blood went to Gerrard thanks to goals in either half from Danny Ings and substitute Emi Buendia. Everton responded when their former player Lucas Digne scored an own goal in the 87th minute but they wasted chances after that and remain without a point from their opening games.

But there are more questions than answers regarding these teams. Since winning promotion three years ago Villa have spent about £500million on new players under wealthy owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens and are targeting European football as quickly as possible, though Gerrard puts their ambitions at a top-half finish.

There is promise in this Villa side. Boubacar Kamara made a superb home debut in the holding midfield role, John McGinn delivered a captain’s performance and Buendia sparkled when he replaced Philippe Coutinho after an hour. Then Tyrone Mings, the man demoted as captain and dropped at Bournemouth last week, was recalled and produced a goal-saving tackle in stoppage time to preserve the points. Yet Gerrard admitted to being ‘extremely worried’ about centre-back Diego Carlos, a £26m summer buy from Sevilla, who was injured late in the game and left the ground on crutches with his left foot in a protective boot.

And whenever the ball was delivered into Villa’s box from a set-piece they looked vulnerable, while Gerrard’s former Liverpool team-mate Coutinho — signed for £17m after a loan spell — is struggling. The Brazilian made a fine start but has a single goal and no assists in his last 13 league games.

‘I’m extremely worried about that Carlos situation,’ said Gerrard. ‘We’re going to send him for an MRI scan but it doesn’t look good. It’s around the ankle, Achilles area. You can see by the player and the man that he’s not the type to go off easily. He looked concerned with it and the medical staff seem concerned and that’s the reason why I’m worried about it.’

Villa were largely kept at bay by an Everton who looked solid defensively, with Mason Holgate and James Tarkowski excellent alongside debutant Conor Coady in the back three. Though he gave the ball away for Villa’s second goal, £33m midfielder Amadou Onana set up Everton’s goal and showed enough to suggest he has a bright future.

Goals, however, are a problem, and Lampard will try to sign a forward this week. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured, Everton played without an orthodox forward and struggled to make an impact, while key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure was injured in the first half.

‘We deserved the criticism last week,’ admitted Gerrard. ‘I asked the players for a reaction and we got that across the board. As for Tyrone Mings, we think he is a fantastic footballer with big attributes who will be a big help to us.

‘He wasn’t 100 per cent fit last weekend so we decided to go a different way. But he trained really well and the focus was there. He was dominant for large parts and played a part in a really important win for us.’ The Holte End chanted Mings’ name after he tangled with Anthony Gordon, shortly before the Everton forward thought he had given his team the lead.

Gordon turned home from close range in the 24th minute after Tarkowski had headed Dwight McNeil’s corner into his path but he was correctly flagged offside — only for a minute of needless VAR checks to follow.

McGinn wanted to make an impression on his first game at Villa Park as skipper and he did exactly that close to the half-hour mark. The Scot won the ball from

McNeil close to his own box and found Ollie Watkins with a long diagonal pass. Though Ings took a poor touch from the low cross, it actually fell perfectly for him to dance around Doucoure and fire Villa in front from 15 yards.

With the temperature hitting 30 degrees there was a need for cool heads and Mings had Kamara to thank for rescuing him from a poor piece of judgement. Attempting to meet Alex Iwobi’s cross, the England defender mistimed his jump and the ball fell to Demarai Gray six yards out. Before the forward could shoot, in rushed Kamara to concede a corner.

Soon after the interval Coutinho, who had made little impact, complained of an injury and was replaced by Buendia. Vitalii Mykolenko kept Everton in it soon afterwards with a goalline clearance. When Digne’s cross was parried by Jordan Pickford, Buendia’s }acrobatic follow-up clipped Coady and looped towards goal, where Mykolenko thrashed clear in the nick of time.

Villa broke through again with five minutes remaining when Buendia played in Watkins and continued his run to tap the return pass into an unguarded net.

That should have been that but Onana strolled past Carlos and when Digne and Iwobi tangled at the far post, the ball trickled into the net.

Everton had chances to level but Villa held on for the three points.

Premier League

en-gb

2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-14T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/284498642205571

dmg media (UK)