Aston Villa 2-1 Everton

Danny Ings and Emi Buendía fired Aston Villa to their first victory of the season courtesy of a 2-1 triumph over Everton packed with late drama.

Villa No.9 Ings turned neatly before slamming home an emphatic finish in the 31^st minute to open the scoring, before substitute Buendía tapped home from close range to double the advantage with five minutes remaining.

Lucas Digne's own goal almost immediately afterwards set up a nervy finale with a series of chances at either end but Steven Gerrard's side held firm to secure all three points, coming in front of 41,883 at a sunny Villa Park for the club’s maiden home match of the 2022/23 campaign.

It was a third successive win over the Toffees having completed a league double last term, ensuring the Villans are now unbeaten in seven against the Merseyside outfit stretching back to 2016.

Villa will now be looking to build upon the three points when they head to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace next weekend.

Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins returned to Villa’s starting XI having been named among the substitutes for last weekend’s season opener at AFC Bournemouth, with Mings declared fit for the lunchtime kick-off having overcome minor damage to an adductor muscle.

Villa started brightly amid a pulsating atmosphere, Diego Carlos heading an early opportunity over the crossbar.

Anthony Gordon had the ball in the net from a corner midway through the first half but his strike was ruled out for offside.

And it was Villa who opened the scoring shortly afterwards as captain John McGinn sprayed a ball out wide to Watkins, who found Ings just inside the penalty area and he turned well to create space before unleashing a fierce drive beyond Jordan Pickford.

Philippe Coutinho was inches away from connecting with Jacob Ramsey’s low ball across the face of goal and adding a second on the stroke of half-time, but it was Villa who led at the break.

McGinn flashed a strike over the bar from distance at the start of the second period, while Dwight McNeil looped an effort wide and Demarai Gray stung the palms of Emi Martínez at the other end.

Coutinho was replaced by Buendía on the hour mark and the Argentinian saw his acrobatic finish cleared off the line by Vitali Mykolenko in the 74^th minute.

Leon Bailey came on for Ings as Villa pressed for a second, but with the encounter hanging in the balance.

Yet Buendia seemingly put the result beyond doubt in the 85th minute when he found Watkins, continued his run towards goal and received the ball back to slot home from close range.

However, the two-goal advantage lasted just two minutes as substitute Amadou Onana's cross was sent into his own net by Digne under pressure at the back post.

And that set up a dramatic conclusion which saw Martínez make three super saves, Mings clear from a dangerous position and Watkins thwarted by Pickford - with the home side running out victors in the 209th meeting of the most played fixture in English top-flight history.