*Leon Bailey’s cameo inspires Aston Villa to rousing victory over Everton* Aston Villa will hope the story of this match foretells their season. They took time to get going but when they did, they blew their opponents away. Matty Cash struck a fabulous opening goal before Lucas Digne headed into his own net from a corner by Leon Bailey, who soon made it 3-0 in spectacular style. Everton did not play badly but their first defeat of the season wound up emphatic. The managers faced contrasting pickles before the game. While Rafael Benítez had to rustle up a way of coping with multiple injuries, Dean Smith was spoiled for choice. The returns of Emi Martínez and Emi Buendía from quarantine meant Villa had practically a full squad for the first time this season and Smith’s starting permutation was eagerly anticipated. He decided to stick with the 3-5-2 system introduced for the visit to Chelsea last week, with Martínez’s return in goal the only personnel change. An understandable decision, since Villa played well at Stamford Bridge despite losing 3-0. But that formation left no obvious slot for Bailey, the £25m summer signing whose wait for a first Premier League start goes on. The fact that Buendía, Villa’s record buy, also began among the substitutes showed the confidence Smith has in 20-year-old Jacob Ramsey. How Benítez would have welcomed a bench as strong as Villa’s. With Jordan Pickford, Richarlison and Séamus Coleman added to a casualty list that already included Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the depth of Everton’s squad was probed. One of the keys to their bright start to this season has been the demonstration of their newfound recruiting acumen, with Andros Townsend, a free agent, and Demarai Gray, a £1.7m acquisition, impressing so far. At Villa Park Salomón Rondón, another free signing, was given his first start since joining Everton completing a strikeforce that aimed to provide more evidence that prices are not always a good guide to worth in the Premier League. Rondón twice went close to emphasising that point early on. He had a shot diverted wide by Axel Tuanzebe, then headed the ensuing corner just over the bar. Villa have been working to develop their own threat from set pieces since engaging a specialist coach in the summer; their efforts nearly bore fruit in the fifth minute, when Tyrone Mings flicked on an inswigning corner by Douglas Luiz. But Asmir Begovic, another free signing making his full Everton debut, made a brilliant one-handed save. John McGinn suffered an eye injury while trying to beat Michael Keane to the rebound and had to be replaced before half-time. Villa’s next chance came from an elaborate free-kick routine that culminated with Danny Ings stabbing over the bar from eight yards. Too often, Villa’s first-half moves broke down because of misunderstandings. When a dangerous cutback from Ings found no one, Gray sped down the left and laid the ball across the face of the goal for Rondón, who stretched but found it to be agonisingly beyond his reach. Everton lost only four of 19 away matches in the league last season but were not always enterprising on their travels; here they regularly took the attacking initiative. Villa’s back three were busy but McGinn and Cash also went close after direct counterattacks by the hosts. Despite flourishes from Gray, both sides could have done with an injection of creativity. Neither manager made changes during the interval but Villa came out strongly after the break. However it was Martínez who had to make a diving save at his near post on the hour to foil Alex Iwobi after Gray pounced on a sloppy throw by the keeper. Gray threatened again five minutes later, curling inches wide from the corner of the area. Smith brought on Bailey, which had the surprising side effect of transforming Cash into a devastating raider. The wing-back hurtled down the right, catching Digne off-guard as he collected a pass from Douglas Luiz before rifling a left-footed shot high into the net from 16 yards. Digne’s day soon deteriorated, as three minutes later he inadvertently flicked a corner by Bailey into his own goal. The Villa Park faithful began serenading Bailey, and he had just finished responding to requests for a wave when Ings invited him to chase a pass from deep. Bailey seized his chance, nodding the bouncing ball further in front of him before walloping a ferocious shot on the run into the top corner from the edge of the area. Bailey limped off injured before the end, a downer on an otherwise uplifting afternoon for Villa. --- “It was an arm-wrestle at times, certainly first half. We probably had more territory without creating clear-cut chances, their goalkeeper has made a really good save from Tyrone Mings and they flashed the ball across the face of goal. In the second half, we started really well, but they had a five minute spell before we scored and we decided to put Leon Bailey on for Matt Targett, because he was playing so high up anyway. They were always a danger on the counter attack, so we had to be at our best. Really pleased with the manner of the goals. “[Matty Cash] used to be a right-winger at Nottingham Forest, so he enjoys being right wing-back. I told both our wing-backs, him and Matt Targett, ‘when we’ve got the ball, go forwards’. They had that mindset. It was a great move and a great goal. “[Leon Bailey’s] a special player, we’re really glad that we’ve got him. I thought he could cause them problems. “[John McGinn] got a knock on the head about five minutes in and thought he was okay to carry on. Around the 26-minute mark, he got another whack and there was a break in play, and he alerted us to it and the doctor kept an eye on it. He called us and said he was too dizzy. “My message to the players at half-time was that our outside centre-halves, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, never broke the line enough and we did it better in the second half. We started the second half really well but they had a spell of pressure for five minutes before we scored which made everybody a little bit edgy but the goal certainly lifted the roof. “But they were certainly lapping [Leon Bailey] up. He’s one who’s going to be a crowd favourite that’s for sure. He’s got great ability and he scored a great goal today and helped with the ball in for the second. He gets bums off seats and that’s what supporters at this club want to see. “I just feel like we’ve got a great depth of squad. There was no need to change the line up apart from Emi Martinez. 3-0 probably flattered us a little bit but, after we got the goal, it was all guns blazing and we scored two other good goals as well. “But we want to be challenging the likes of Chelsea, Everton, Manchester United next week and you have to have a good squad to do that and a good bench to change it as well. “I just said, we’ve got players who can get bums off seats and supporters can see that the group of players are together who are working really hard for their teammates and for the football club. “There’s an awful lot of quality in there as well. “[Bailey’s display was] really special. He is a really good player that is why we have got him here at the football club but on top of that he is a really good lad as well, the lads love him in the dressing room. “He is really humble and a really good person. We know he is going to be a special talent for us.” Villa boss Dean Smith. --- ”It’s an unbelievable feeling to get my first Villa goal here. To get three points was most important. “To celebrate in front of my family was brilliant. “It means so much. I had a dream last night I was going to score. I need to dream more. I scored in front of the Holte End [in the dream]. Surreal moment. I’m really happy to be playing in front of these fans. “In that moment I tried to keep my composure. To see it go top corner was brilliant. I was going mad. I always do when I score.” Matty Cash on his first Villa goal.