By Dan Harrison

Stiliyan Petrov insists victory over Everton is the only option as Villa aim to erase the pain of back-to-back defeats.

The claret and blues go into Sunday's Barclays Premier League showdown with the Toffees on the back of losses to Newcastle and Rapid Vienna.

Not only is Villa versus Everton the most-played fixture in English football, it has produced some pulsating encounters in recent seasons.

But Petrov insists the result is all that matters this time around.

He knows the Toffees will themselves be eager to recover from a poor start.

David Moyes's team began the season with an opening day defeat to Blackburn, followed by a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves last Saturday.

And the Villa captain is urging the claret and blues faithful to continue their fervent backing of the team ahead of the big clash.

"It is a must-win game," said Petrov. "That is the only solution for us to turn things around and I hope we can do that.

"The key is to win the game. We hope we can win and we hope we have the support like we had form the fans against Vienna.

"Everton have got enough good players to win games and to put in a good performance so we are aware of how good they are as a team.

"We know how difficult it is going to be so every point now will be vital and we hope we can get as many as we can."

For the second game running, Villa suffered the disappointment of missing from the penalty spot.

After John Carew's miss against Newcastle, Petrov assumed spot kick duties but was thwarted by Rapid Vienna goalkeeper Raimund Hedl.

However, it won't deter the captain from stepping up again and he insisted: "I will not run from my responsibilities.

"We need to find the one who can put it in," he added.

"With penalties, you either score or you miss.

"I missed against Vienna, John missed the last one. That is the way it goes. I hope that will turn around in the next few games.

"I don't run away from my responsibilities. That is the way football goes one day you score, one day you don't."

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