Aston Villa’s Premier League title hopes took a significant hit on Sunday as they slumped to a 1-0 home defeat against Everton, while Newcastle United’s bid for a top-four finish lost momentum following a goalless draw at Wolves.
Unai Emery’s side had a golden opportunity to pile pressure on league leaders Arsenal after the Gunners were held 0-0 by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Victory at Villa Park would have moved Villa to within four points of the summit, but a flat display left them punished instead.
Thierno Barry struck the decisive goal in the second half as Everton capitalised on Villa’s lack of sharpness, condemning the hosts to a costly setback in the title race.
As a result, Arsenal now hold a seven-point cushion over third-placed Villa. Second-placed Manchester City are also seven points adrift after suffering a 2-0 derby defeat to Manchester United.
With Arsenal chasing their first league crown since 2004, the missteps by both City and Villa this weekend have strengthened Mikel Arteta’s grip on the title battle.
Villa’s frustrations were compounded when captain John McGinn was forced off injured before the break. The defeat was particularly damaging given the Midlands club had won 11 consecutive home matches in all competitions prior to Sunday.
Everton nearly stunned Villa Park inside the opening minute as Merlin Röhl exploited defensive uncertainty to crash a shot against the post after just 11 seconds.
Former Villa favourite Jack Grealish, now wearing Everton colours, was greeted with loud jeers from the home crowd. The winger almost responded in style, only to see his volley blocked by Evann Guessand.
Jake O’Brien thought he had put Everton ahead from a corner, but his header was ruled out for offside against Harrison Armstrong.
Villa came agonisingly close just before half-time when Guessand met Youri Tielemans’ delivery, looping a header onto the crossbar.
However, Emery’s men struggled to find a cutting edge and were punished in the 59th minute following a defensive error.
Pau Torres lost possession near his own box, allowing Dwight McNeil to fire a shot that Emiliano Martínez parried into Barry’s path. The striker calmly lifted the rebound into the net for his third goal in five games.
Jordan Pickford then sealed Everton’s victory with a superb fingertip save to deny Morgan Rogers’ curling effort, leaving Villa with just one win from their last four league outings.
Newcastle held at Wolves
At a rain-soaked Molineux, Newcastle United were left frustrated as they failed to break down Wolves in a 0-0 stalemate that stalled their Champions League ambitions.
Eddie Howe’s side had arrived buoyed by league wins over Burnley, Crystal Palace and Leeds, but they lacked attacking bite against a Wolves team rooted to the foot of the table.
The Magpies remain eighth in the standings and were coming off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final earlier in the week.
“We needed to offer more in attack,” Howe admitted. “We didn’t create enough, and that’s disappointing.”
Newcastle failed to register a shot on target until the 85th minute, while Nick Woltemade endured another frustrating afternoon, missing two clear headers. The forward has now scored just twice in 13 appearances and is seven games without a goal.
With crucial clashes against Aston Villa and Liverpool approaching, Howe’s men will need a swift response to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Wolves, meanwhile, extended their unbeaten run to four league matches but remain 14 points adrift of safety.
