Marouane Fellaini double rescues Everton and ruins Aston Villa's day - The Guardian

Even in a game of breathless excitement, there was something all too predictable about this for Aston Villa. Set pieces continue to be their achilles heel and the loss of two points and a vital victory can be attributed to their dead-ball deficiencies. The clock had ticked past the 90-minute mark and Villa were protecting a precious lead when Leighton Baines lined up a corner. Marouane Fellaini rose highest and headed in.

It was his second goal and Everton's third. The draw specialists had clinched a point at the last but Villa, rather than claiming a potentially season-defining win, were plunged deeper into trouble because Reading defeated Sunderland.

Until then, the threat of the front four seemed to compensate for the frailties elsewhere in the team. The speed and incision of the quartet of Christian Benteke, Charles N'Zogbia, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann put them in a commanding position.

Benteke had wreaked havoc on his previous trip to Merseyside and he carried on in the same vein. Fed by N'Zogbia, he powered past a lacklustre Johnny Heitinga before angling a shot beyond Tim Howard.

After a period of pressure, Everton levelled with a goal from their version of Benteke. Indeed, the Villa target man ranks among the few strikers capable of scoring as Victor Anichebe did. Receiving Steven Pienaar's pass with his back to goal and Ron Vlaar in close proximity, Anichebe shielded the ball, spun and shot.

Villa had no sooner lost their lead than they regained it. Ashley Westwood crossed for Agbonlahor, leaping between Fellaini and Heitinga, to head past Howard. It was only his third goal in 39 league games, but the second of the game that was partly attributable to Heitinga.

There was to be a third. The Dutchman was beaten by Benteke again when the Belgian plunged forward to head in Matthew Lowton's curling cross. Villa retained a threat on the counterattack, principally through the pace of Benteke and Agbonlahor, and it should have already yielded another goal. Agbonlahor sped forward and slid a pass beyond the retreating Everton defence, Weimann accelerated on to it and, uncharacteristically, skied his shot over the bar.

For all the flaws in their defending Everton's efforts at the other end were unstinting. They halved the deficit when Fellaini, taking advantage of Villa's inability to cope with Anichebe, played a one-two with the striker and sidefooted his shot home. They threatened an equaliser, too, with Brad Guzan denying Nikica Jelavic and Sylvain Distin, before Fellaini provided it, heading in Baines's corner.