Martinez magnificent as disciplined Villa grind out a point while the drought endures

Aston Villa left Hill Dickinson Stadium with a hard-earned clean sheet and a valuable point after a goalless draw that owed much to Emiliano Martinez. Under pressure for most of the afternoon, Unai Emery’s team defended with discipline and leaned on their goalkeeper, who saved from Jack Grealish and produced a superb reflex stop to deny Michael Keane from close range.

The attacking problems persist. Villa’s wait for a first Premier League goal of the season extends to four matches and 467 minutes; they mustered only one shot on target here. Still, after defeats at Brentford and at home to Crystal Palace, this was a stabilising result earned through commitment and organisation.

Rearguard over rhythm

In a stop-start, ill-tempered contest that suited a more conservative approach, Villa prioritised shape and resilience. Everton held sway and outshot the visitors 20-6, but Villa’s back line, helped by Martinez’s presence, repelled the most dangerous moments.

There were flickers at the other end. Emiliano Buendia’s second-half effort deflected off James Tarkowski and dribbled wide with Jordan Pickford beaten, the one moment to hush the home crowd. Late on, Tyrone Mings read the danger and blocked Thierno Barry as the Everton substitute threatened to snatch it.

A statement return from the No 1

Restored to the XI after speculation around a move and missing the previous game, Martinez was unflappable. He got down smartly to Grealish’s low strike before, after the interval, acrobatically turning Keane’s point-blank header away to preserve parity.

At full-time he lingered as the last man down the tunnel, waving to the away end and tapping the badge, a gesture that spoke to a relationship repaired. Emery called it 'a good point' and praised his keeper’s contribution: 'Emiliano did a fantastic job and saved us lots of time… We were defending and were disciplined.'

Emery’s tweaks amid attacking concerns

Youri Tielemans’ injury forced a half-time reshuffle and brought on forward Evann Guessand, whose presence offered a little more bite without turning the tide. Earlier, a scuffed outside-of-the-foot pass from Morgan Rogers captured a first half low on zip, while Ollie Watkins and Rogers were too often isolated.

Harvey Elliott, signed on deadline day from Liverpool, arrived late for his debut, but Villa’s threat remained sporadic: just one effort on target from 0.31 expected goals. The structure was right; the incision remains the task at hand.

Drought extends, but a platform to build on

Emery accepted the point as a step in the right direction, stressing commitment, discipline and organisation while acknowledging the obvious: Villa have to improve offensively. He spoke of building the team and recovering positivity; on this evidence, the base is there even if the cutting edge is not.

The league table still reads 19th and the drought stretches on, but a clean sheet away to an in-form Everton offers something to build from. The challenge now is to add the zip and intensity that characterised Villa at their best without compromising the solidity shown here.

What’s next

Villa head to Brentford in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, a tie that could help loosen the attacking gears, before visiting Sunderland in the Premier League on 21 September. Emery needs goals soon; the platform is now in place to chase them.

Everton, for their part, visit Liverpool in the Merseyside derby on 20 September and then Wolves in the Carabao Cup on 23 September, underlining the calibre of the point Villa extracted on Merseyside.