Everton secured a landmark Premier League victory over Aston Villa for the first time since March 2016, thanks to Thierno Barry’s decisive strike in a 1-0 win that handed Unai Emery’s side their first home defeat since August 2025.

With both Arsenal and Manchester City dropping points on Saturday, Villa had the perfect chance to strengthen their title challenge, especially as they had remained unbeaten against Everton in league fixtures since returning to the Premier League in 2019.

The Toffees nearly stunned Villa immediately, with Merlin Rohl hitting the post just 11 seconds in after a Barry layoff—the fastest shot to hit the woodwork in Premier League history. Villa responded briefly, including a scoop over from Morgan Rogers, but Everton soon began to dominate possession and territory.

Everton appeared to score just after the half-hour mark when Jake O’Brien nodded past Emiliano Martínez, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside, with Harrison Armstrong deemed to be interfering with play. Villa then had their own chances, with Rogers’ close-range effort blocked and Evann Guessand heading against the crossbar from Youri Tielemans’ delivery.

After the interval, Villa looked the more dangerous side, but it was Everton who broke the deadlock just before the hour. Dwight McNeil’s initial shot was parried by Martínez, and Barry reacted fastest, calmly chipping the ball over the Villa goalkeeper to score the decisive goal.

Villa piled on the pressure in search of an equalizer, with Rogers curling an effort narrowly stopped by a flying Jordan Pickford. Despite dominating possession and growing frustrated, they could not find a way back into the match.

The win marked David Moyes’ first league victory over Emery and extended Everton’s recent strong away form, moving them into the top half after four wins in six away matches. Meanwhile, Villa missed the chance to capitalize on their rivals’ slip-ups and now face pressure to improve on a run of just one win in four league games if they hope to maintain their top-four ambitions.