There was enough to stimulate the fans and players at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon, but no goals as Everton and Aston Villa were forced to settle for a point each in a tense match.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had the greatest opportunity of the game in the first half, while Villa replacement Jhon Duran fired well wide in the second.
Finally, both defenders did enough to retain a clean sheet.
Villa produced some nice football in the first half while Everton looked disjointed, but it was the home side who created the greatest opportunities.
Calvert-Lewin went one-on-one with Emiliano Martinez after Arnaut Danjuma sent a wonderful through pass with the outside of his boot.
The striker was owed a goal, but his attempt was unimpressive, giving Martinez enough opportunity to save with an outstretched leg, which he did.
Villa’s goal was disallowed for offside following a long VAR review, prompting both sets of fans to express their displeasure with the procedure.
Calvert-Lewin has not scored since October and has only four goals in 20 appearances in all competitions this season. He was replaced by Beto after little over an hour of play, following another dismal performance.
The first half had been building, with neither team holding back on their challenge. The second half’s scruffy character caused tempers to flare up on a frequent basis.
In the first half, James Tarkowski had a head wound stitched up due to a stray elbow from Ollie Watkins, while in the second, Alex Moreno received the full power of one of the Everton defenders’ challenges.
Vitalii Mykolenko ended the game with a bandaged head, making his late save on a shot from replacement Matty Cash all the more impressive.
Cash provided Villa with an extra attacking threat down the right, and his cross for Duran nearly resulted in a winner, but the forward’s touch missed the far post.
Abdoulaye Doucoure then had the ball in the net but was ruled back for offside as the clubs at opposing ends of the table each snatched a point away from their opponents.
