Everton suffers painful loss

By: 21 | December 7th, 2008

Everton supporters felt heartbreak losing 3-2 to Aston Villa with the winning strike coming off a painful-to-watch last second strike by Ashley Young. In the most peculiar of ways it was almost fitting that the match ended off a defensive blunder just as it had started. Aston Villa took the lead less-than a minute into the match as James Milner laid the ball off to Steve Sidwell who subsequently drove the ball in from twenty meters. Everton picked themselves up and with loyal Goodison Park behind them they fought on till leveling the match at the half hour mark when Mikel Arteta’s free-kick was edged on by Leon Osman to a waiting Joleon Lescott to pummel into the net from a few meters out. The Toffees kept pressuring but nine minutes after the break, the second foul defensive lapse of the match result in ‘Villa taking the lead. In a inexplicable lapse, Phil Jagielka, who has played so brilliantly this year, attempted to pass the ball back towards with Timmy Howard but with his head down he did not realize he had perfectly laid the ball out to Ashley Young to go in all alone. The young English international converted and the complexion of the match changed decidedly as Everton’s forces slowed. With an intense desire to equalize Everton pressed and a few minutes into added time Joleon Lescott with his back to the goal swiveled to strike the ball from close range to the back of the net. Remarkably the match was level and while many would say Everton was deserving of three points, a draw certainly was a very acceptable result all things considered. Yet that was not the end of the tale as in the final seconds of four minutes of added time, a long ball was launched towards Ashley Young, who subsequently turned Joleon Lescott in the wrong direction and launch the ball into the net. Shocked and dismayed Goodison Park was numb as Everton lost 3-2.