Aston Villa and Everton meet in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, both on cloud nine after respective Premier League away victories at the weekend.
In their most recent Premier League encounter, the Lions defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge, while the Toffees defeated Brentford 3-1 at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Aston Villa’s qualification for the Europa Conference League allowed the Lions to skip the first two rounds of the EFL Cup, but they were met with a hard welcome back to continental play by Legia Warsaw, who won 3-2 in the opening game on Thursday.
A well-rested Chelsea side attempted to prolong Villa’s suffering on Sunday, handing Unai Emery’s side their third consecutive away setback – having also been defeated 3-0 on Liverpool’s soil – but the Blues were no match for the roar of the Lions at the weekend.
The hosts, who have not lost in front of their own fans since February’s 4-2 defeat by Arsenal, are attempting to avoid a third consecutive exit at this stage of the EFL Cup, having been eliminated by Manchester United and Chelsea in their previous two third-round ties.
Tarkowski, on the other hand, wheeled away in joy against his previous club after rising highest to nod home from a corner, before Dominic Calvert-Lewin rounded off a fantastic Toffees victory that has lifted them out of danger and into 15th place.
Everton’s solitary success in 2023-24 was a close 2-1 EFL Cup third-round win over Doncaster Rovers, but Sean Dyche’s side are still without a clean sheet this season ahead of a difficult trip to the Villa Park stronghold.
Emery’s team has already handed the Toffees a footballing lesson this season, with a 4-0 humiliation on August 20, and, like Villa, Everton face a third consecutive third-round elimination in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
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