46 min: Villa’s Douglas Luiz gets the ball rolling in the second half. There are no changes in personnel on either side.
Peep! A tremendously entertaining half of end-to-end football draws to a close with the score somehow still only 1-1. Everton have had two shots on target, while Villa have had six (not including the two or three times they hit the woodwork). It’s made for great viewing; more please.
45+1 min: Targett and El-Ghazi unwittingly combine to almost-but-not-quite score into their own net at an Everton corner.
43 min: Ollie Watkins pulls a shot wide of the far post from a tight angle after running on to a through ball that was defelcted his way off Godfrey. His shot took a deflection on the way and Villa win a corner. Nothing comes of it.
42 min: Free-kick for Everton wide on the left, for a Douglas Luiz foul on Richarlison that earns the Villa midfielder a yellow card. Gylfi Sigurdsson’s inswinger is cleared.
39 min: Iwobi escapes upfield on the counter and tries to pick out Calvert-Lewin. His pass is inch-perfect and with a better touch Everton’s striker could have beaten his man and put himself through on goal. Sadly, he miscontrolled and the opportunity got away from him.
37 min: Ross Barkley thumps the ball off the foot of the left-upright from 22 yards out.
33 min: Gylfi SIgurdsson sends the ball whistling over the Villa cross-bar from distance. It was another decent effort in a very entertaining first half.
32 min: How have Villa not scored there?!?! A fantastic cross from Matty Cash is met by Watkins at the far post. He brings an astonishing save out of Pickford from three yards out and then El Ghazi rattles the cross-bar with the follow-up.
29 min: Bertrand Traore escapes down the inside left after a mistake by Richarlison but is shepherded wide by Pickford, who prods the ball away from him before retreating back towards his own goal. Traore attempts to curl the ball into the top left-hand corner, but the retreating Pickford manages to claw it out for a corner.
28 min: Villa win a free-kick outsidxe the Everton penalty area and Ross Barkley tries his luck. Over the bar.
26 min: Matty Targett needs treatment after catching Ricvharlison with the follow-through as he attempted to hoof the ball clear. West Ham’s Fabian Balbueno got sent off for less last weekend.
24 min: Calvert-Lewin steers a diving header straight at Emi Martinez form close range, getting between defenders to fling himself at a Richarlison volleyed cross from the left.
22 min: A wonderful first touch almost puts Bertrand Traore through on the Everton goal but his comparatively second touch slowed him down. Everton scramble clear courtesy of Ben Godfrey.
Everton equalise! A corner on the right. The ball is swung towards the far post, where Dominic Calvert-Lewin had arrived at the end of an arcing run through the Villa penalty area. He rose and headed home from about five feet out. That’s an excellent header - he was leaning backwards but managed to steer it home from a tight angle.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin of Everton scores their side’s first goal past Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa. Photograph: Naomi Baker/Getty Images
17 min: Watkins is causing Everton all sorts of problems with his speed. This time he gives Godsfrey the slip to latch on to a long ball from the back, but Pickford is able to save his effort from a very tight angle.
16 min: Watkins needs treatment on a knock to the face from Holgate as the pair contested a high ball. It was completely accidental ... I think, but the Everton defender drew blood.
14 min: In possession of the ball about 10 yards outside his own penalty area, Mason Holgate dithered and had his pocket picked by Watkins. The Villa striker needed a couple of attempts to get clean away from the scrambling Everton defender, but eventually put distance between them before slotting past Pickford into the bottom left-hand corner.
Villa lead! It’s an opportunistic effort from Ollie Watkins, who capitalises on some Mason Holgate dithering to give his side the lead.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins (right) scores their side’s first goal of the game. Photograph: Michael Regan/PA
10 min: Digne and Andre Gomes combine in midfield for Everton, but the former’s passing lane to Richarlison on the left touchline is cut off by Villa. The ball is played backwards.
9 min: El Ghazi is penalised for barging and Everton win a free-kick just outside their own penalty area. The ball is played back to Pickford, who sends it forward.
6 min: McGinn tries his luck from outside the Everton penalty area, unleashing a surface to air effort. He was leaning back as he struck the ball and it sails high over the bar.
5 min: John McGinn plays an inch-=perfect long diagonal towards Anwar El Ghazi on the left touchline. He’s unable to get a cross in.
4 min: Richarlison goes down injured after a collision with Cash. He seems to have hurt is arm but is fit to carry on.
3 min: Matty Cash takes a throw-in for Villa deep inside his own half. His side is already under pressure in these early stages.
2 min: Alex Iwobi, Everton’s last-minute call-up has the first shot of the game. It’s blocked by Ezri Konsa.
1 min: Everton kick off on the whistle of referee Simon Hooper and immediately lump the ball long towards the corner flag. It goes out for a goal-kick and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gets his first touch.
Not long now: The teams are out on the pitch, Everton’s Lucas Digne holding aloft a tablet bearing the visage of a “virtual mascot” who can’t be at Goodison Park tonight. Kick-off at Goodison Park is just a few moments away.
Iwobi comes in: The presumption is that he’ll play on right wing, Richarlison will move across to the left and Gylfi Sigurdsson will play in the middle of the three behind lone striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
A late change for Everton: And it’s quite a significant one - James Rodriguez has suffered a last-minute injury and will be replaced by Alex Iwobi.
Premier League: Kai Havertz scored both goals as Chelsea edged Fulham closer to the abyss at Stamford Bridge.
Those teams: It’s a rare unchanged side from Carlo Ancelotti, who goes with the same starting eleven that beat Arsenal last time out.
Dean Smith, by contrast, rings the changes. Well, one change: Matty Cash is in for Ahmed El Mohamady, as expected.
Seamus Coleman (left) greets Tyrone Mings ahead of kick-off. Photograph: Peter Byrne/AFP/Getty Images
Simon Hooper is in charge of maintaining order in tonight’s game between Everton and Aston Villa. Photograph: David Horton - CameraSport/CameraSport/Getty Images
Early team news
For Aston Villa, Jack Grealish remains sidelined with whatever it is that’s kept him out since 13 February, while Morgan Sanson and Trezeguet are also out. Matty Cash sat out last Sunday night’s draw against West Brom, his suspension allowing him to stay home and watch Line of Duty instead. He could start tonight instead of Ahmed Elmohamady.
Keinan Davis came off the bench to score his long overdue maiden Premier League goal against West Brom, a strike that could earn him a start tonight at the expense of Anwar El Ghazi or Bertrand Traore. Should Davis start, Ollie Watkins could move out wide.
Everton are without Abdoulaye Doucoure and the luckless Jean-Philippe Gbamin, while Michael Keane may need to undergho a fitness test after missing Eveerton’s win over Arsenal with a hamstring injury. Josh King is believed to have recovered from a back injury.
Goodison Park is the venue for a game that is crucial for a preposterously inconsistent Everton sides chances of qualifying for Europe next season. Carlo Ancelotti’s side could still conceivably qualify for the Champions League, but a place in the Europa League seems more attainable. A win today would take them level on points with West Ham, three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea having played the same number of games.
Comfortably ensconced in mid-table and struggling in the absence of Jack Grealish, Aston Villa constitute the kind of opposition Ancelotti would have handpicked, given the choice but Everton being Everton, the kindness of the fixture generator is no guarantee of success. Dean Smith has masterminded just one win in Villa’s past eight games but will see tonight as an opportunity to get his team back to winning ways - one suspects the first goal tonight could be crucial. Kick-off at Goodison Park is at 8pm but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
Everton captain Seamus Coleman attends to his pre-match media duties. Photograph: Tony McArdle - Everton FC/Everton FC/Getty Images
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