Everton 2 Villa 3 - analysis

There's just one thing you can be sure of with Villa these days: Expect the unexpected.

Whether it be defying the odds against Arsenal and Manchester United or failing to live upto expectations when the Fulhams and Middlesbroughs come to town, you just never quite know what lies around the corner.

And so, thrillingly, it again proved the case yesterday at Goodison Park – on more than one occasion.

Having seen chance after chance go begging against Fulham last weekend you sensed Martin O'Neill's men could have been at Villa Park until midnight and still not found the net against Roy Hodgson's side. And yet here, just 34 seconds in, they broke the deadlock courtesy of Steve Sidwell's thunderbolt.

It was easily the fastest goal in the Premier League so far this season and as clean a strike as you will ever see. This, typically, the same Sidwell who missed two sitters last weekend.

But if the start was out of the blue, it was nothing compared to the twists and turns which lay ahead at the end.

Leading 2-1 by this stage, Villa had spent much of the second half hanging on to their lead but, now safely into the third and final minute of injury time, they looked home and dry.

Then, suddenly, Joleon Lescott acrobatically volleyed home with 30 seconds left and it seemed certain Villa were going to have to settle for a third straight league draw. But, within a matter of a few scintillating seconds, Villa served up the most dramatic of endings imaginable as Ashley Young raced through for a second time and held his nerve. Delightfully, the resulting kick-off heralded the final whistle.

Conclusions like that don't come along too often but boy are they worth waiting for – this was a big moment in Villa's season, let's hope a defining one.

Victory was imperative here after all of the big four and a Hull side, who continue to punch above their weight, had all won on Saturday. And, not for the first time this season, when the pressure is on to stay in touch with big boys this Villa side delivered – they did it three weeks ago in another difficult away trip at Arsenal.

Their problem has been spurning opportunies to cement or improve their place when inside the top four.

Looking upwards, they end the week just how they started it – still a point behind the Gunners and three off United.

But, just as significantly, they left Merseyside with a healthy six-point lead over the Toffees and five ahead of Portsmouth.

This win made it five victories on the road already this season – Tottenham, Albion, Wigan, Arsenal and now Everton – and they have now picked up more points away (15) than they have at home (13).

There's no question the 4-5-1 formation adopted since John Carew's injury is better suited on their travels and so it proved again here.

It wasn't that Villa played David Moyes' men off the park, in fact they were second best for long spells.

But the added support provided by Sidwell, the third midfielder, proved crucial as Villa became increasingly pegged back into their own area.

One attribute the formation utlises is pace and, in the shape of Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, that is something Villa have in abundance – as the latter proved to deadly effect. Yet before his heroics came Sidwell's.

Luke Young found James Milner inside the area with his back to goal. He laid it off for Sidwell and he unleashed a first-time piledriver past Tim Howard.

It was further evidence of the damage he can do in the final third.

Of course, the danger of scoring a goal so early away from home is always that you will sit back and invite pressure. And so it proved.

Brad Friedel twice saved well from Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini but, finally the home side fashioned an equaliser.

Mikel Arteta's free-kick was flicked on by Leon Osman for Lescott to turn the ball in from a couple of yards. You couldn't say it hadn't been coming.

Fellaini might have the Premier League's worst disciplinary record with seven bookings and a red card already to his name but, at 6ft 5in, he represents an obvious aerial threat. First, only a goal-line header from Carlos Cuellar kept him out and then two minutes into the second period, it took Friedel's fingertips to push another effort onto the crossbar. It was as good a save as the American has made all season.

It was one way-traffic, yet suddenly Villa found themselves ahead again after 54 minutes. The stray backpass from Phil Jagielka was poor but had Ashley Young not shown the intelligence to anticipate it and position himself to take advantage the chance would never have materialised.

Young still had work to do, though, but he showed supreme confidence to curl the ball first time beyond the exposed Howard. Vintage smash and grab stuff.

It was in the closing stages that Villa's other hero Martin Laursen came into his own. Moyes' men threw everything at Villa but the Dane headed away everything like his life depended on it.

Inevitably, chances came along, however with Cahill, Lescott and Yobo all going close. And eventually Villa's defence buckled when Jagielka headed the ball back into the box, Cahill touched it on and Lescott hooked home.

As painful as it was, it was difficult to begrudge the Toffees a point.

Judging by the Toffees' reaction they certainly thought they'd salvaged a point, so it's a good job Villa had other ideas.

Laursen, seconds earlier collapsed in a heap on the ground, made one final giant leap to win a ball in midfield which Arteta failed to control. Agbonlahor pounced and poked a pass through to Young, who cut inside Lescott before steering past Howard.

So often players handed such opportunities late on lose their head. Not Young.

That made it five Villa chances; all on target; three goals – such a different tale to Villa Park last weekend.

The challenge now, when Bolton visit on Saturday, is to meet these expectations and deliver – or watch a season full of promise slip away.