BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa went from losing by four goals in its first game of the season to winning by the same margin in its second.
Villa took advantage of poor Everton defending to beat the Toffees 4-0 in the Premier League on Sunday and hand Unai Emery his biggest win since taking over as manager.
Bouncing back from a 5-1 loss at Newcastle last weekend, Villa took a 2-0 lead after goals from captain John McGinn and Douglas Luiz in the first half and then added second-half efforts from Leon Bailey and substitute Jhon Duran.
Everton, meanwhile, has yet to score a goal in two games and has lost its opening two games for the second successive season. Making matters worse, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin was substituted in the 38th after a clash of heads, adding to his problems after an injury-plagued last season.
McGinn put Villa ahead in the 18th minute with a volley and Luiz doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 24th after VAR ruled Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had taken out Ollie Watkins with a flailing arm.
The visitors were forced into another change soon after the restart when Alex Iwobi hobbled off and was replaced by Neal Maupay.
Villa put the result beyond doubt in the 51st minute when Bailey pounced after Everton defender Michael Keane had miscontrolled a throw-in into the box and fired home a low shot under Pickford.
Watkins went close to adding a fourth when his angled effort rolled inches wide before Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez blocked Maupay’s close-range effort at the other end following a corner.
Keane was caught out again in the buildup to Villa’s fourth, miskicking from former Villa defender Ashley Young’s throw-in and Duran ran clear to score his first goal for the club, less than a minute after stepping off the bench to replace Watkins.
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