Goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Emiliano Martinez contributed significantly to Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery’s first goalless draw in 97 Premier League matches.
The point meant Villa could not leapfrog Manchester City to go level on points with leaders Liverpool and while it did little for Everton, who are only one ahead of 18th-placed Luton – who have a match in hand – it did at least end a run of three successive league defeats.
A large part of that was down to Pickford, who made good saves from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins, while Martinez made his presence felt by denying Dominic Calvert-Lewin clean through on goal and also James Garner in quick succession.
However, while the two goalkeepers were on the top of their game at Goodison Park, the men leading their respective attacks were less so.
Calvert-Lewin has not scored for 13 matches and after failing to convert Everton’s best chance he was replaced just past the hour mark having failed to end a run dating back to October.
Watkins’ battle with James Tarkowski was more compelling but ultimately as fruitless as Villa’s 15 shots failed to produce a goal.
This was the 212nd league meeting between the pair – a record in English domestic history – and in the later stages that familiarity bred some contempt as players squared up to each other on several occasions.
Everton captain Seamus Coleman was making his 355th Premier League appearance, a new club record, and while the £60,000 signing from Sligo in 2009 will have enjoyed the clean sheet there was little else to celebrate about his landmark game.
Arnaut Danjuma woefully miscued an early volley from Jack Harrison’s cross and while the return of Abdoulaye Doucoure after five matches made a huge difference it was Villa who looked more constructive in the final third.
Watkins’ angled shot was blocked by Pickford’s knee and although the goalkeeper was beaten by Alex Moreno’s 20-yard strike a lengthy VAR check ruled Bailey, who played the final pass, was offside in the build-up from a short corner.
Pickford’s quick reactions tipped Bailey’s shot around his near post before Martinez proved he could match the England number one in the save stakes.
Danjuma’s through-ball with the outside of his right foot was the perfect invitation for Calvert-Lewin to race through but he never appeared confident, perhaps understandably considering his drought.
The striker – given a reprieve earlier this week when his red card at Crystal Palace was rescinded – was not afforded the same leniency by the Argentinian World Cup winner, who stuck out a foot to block the low shot when anything lifted off the turf would almost certainly have beaten him.
Martinez then made a similarly good stop from Garner low down to his left as he was moving to his right in the breakdown from the Calvert-Lewin attack.
Goalmouth incidents were less frequent in an increasingly fractious second half as referee David Coote struggled to get a handle on a number of strong challenges, several from a pumped-up Tarkowski.
When Danjuma stabbed wide after Harrison’s run down the right it was his – and Calvert-Lewin’s – last involvement.
A flurry of late activity saw Vitalii Mykolenko’s diving block smother a shot from Matty Cash, whose cross was then diverted just wide by the sliding Jhon Duran, before Doucoure raced clear to beat Martinez at his near post only to be denied by an offside flag.
Van Dijk welcomes Slot arrival as Liverpool captain commits to Reds future
Virgil van Dijk insists his future remains solely with Liverpool as the Reds captain welcomed incoming Dutch compatriot Arne Slot.
Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, with the Dutchman expected to take charge at Anfield from Saturday after sealing his switch from Feyenoord.
The soon-to-be Liverpool boss leaves the Netherlands after three highly successful seasons with Feyenoord, having led them to the league title in 2023.
Slot will be welcomed by two fellow countrymen on the red side of Merseyside, with Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch eager to link-up with their new manager.
As Netherlands began their Euro 2024 training camp on Monday, Van Dijk told a news conference: "I still have a year left on my contract.
"I am club captain and I have made it clear I am there for the new coach and enthusiastic over the next season.
"Obviously, there will be a lot of changes but I am confident we will make a big success of it.
"I congratulated [Slot] of course and I'm really pleased for him and his family. We spoke about the team and the future but now my focus is fully on the national team."
Slot's reign ended with six straight league wins and Feyenoord did not lose any of his final 20 Eredivisie matches at the helm, their last defeat coming against PSV on December 3.
The 45-year-old oversaw exactly 150 games in charge of Feyenoord across all competitions, winning 98 of those contests (65.33 per cent).
Slot also won the KNVB Cup glory in April, overseeing a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in the final of that competition, and Gravenberch believes that success has earnt his Liverpool move.
"I think he can be good for my career, he's a coach who wants to play good football," added Gravenberch.
UEFA and FIFA warned to halt Super League opposition by Spanish court
FIFA and UEFA have been told to stop their opposition against the European Super League (ESL), with a Spanish court ruling warning of anti-competitive behaviour and abuse of a dominant position.
Madrid's commercial court said on Monday the European and world governing bodies violated competition law by banning and punishing clubs from participating in a proposed new tournament.
FIFA and UEFA were told to reverse any anticompetitive actions committed in the past after A22 Sports Management, the company behind the plan to create the ESL, brought the case to Spanish court.
"It's an important step towards a truly competitive and sustainable club football landscape in Europe," A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said in a statement after the ruling.
"For too long UEFA has been allowed to control and dominate club football at European level."
Reichart added that UEFA's position on the ESL has "stifled innovation for decades", though celebrated "the era of the monopoly [as] definitively over".
The case was also brought against LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), though that pair and UEFA insisted the court ruling did not explicitly support the creation of the Super League.
"The court has not given the green light to, nor has it approved, projects like the Super League," UEFA said in a follow-up statement.
"In fact, the judge has asserted that the Super League project has long been abandoned and that she cannot be expected to rule on any abstract projects.
"In short, the judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project."
English football's so-called 'big six' – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – were founding members of the original Super League project in April 2021.
Yet those Premier League clubs quickly withdrew amid fan protests and pressure from the football authorities, with Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid following a similar suit.
UEFA has since changed its rules around new competitions following the collapse of the ESL proposal in April 2021 and the court says those new rules are unaffected by Monday's ruling.
"The court also confirmed that the current version of UEFA's authorisation rules [as adopted in June 2022] is not affected by today's ruling," the European governing body added.
Bonmati named Women's Champions League Player of Season for second straight campaign
Aitana Bonmati secured the Women's Champions League Player of the Season for a second straight campaign after guiding Barcelona to European glory.
The Spain international scored in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Lyon in the final, helping Jonatan Giraldez's side clinch an unprecedented quadruple.
Fellow Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas produced the other goal in that victory, but Bonmati was named Player of the Match after another eye-catching performance.
With six goals and six assists, the 26-year-old managed more goal contributions than any other player in this season's Champions League, and that earned Bonmati further individual recognition.
"She influenced the game all over the pitch in and out of possession. High progressive passes, high ball recoveries and scored a great goal," UEFA's technical observer panel said in a statement.
Bonmati also scored eight goals in Barcelona's victorious Liga F campaign this season, helping the Spanish giants win the competition for a fifth consecutive time.
Having already won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA's best women's player award for 2023, this UEFA award caps a fine season for the impressive Bonmati.
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