Everton continued their mini-revival after a deserved 2-1 Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa.
James Garner’s first Everton goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s strike sent the visitors into the fourth round.
Boubacar Kamara’s late goal flattered the scoreline after Everton dominated the disappointing hosts for much of the game. They will face Burnley at home in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, with the tie to be played in the week commencing October 30.
Villa beat Everton 4-0 in the Premier League last month, but Sean Dyche’s side are starting to recover after a miserable start.
Back-to-back wins for the first time under Dyche – and for the first time in a year – will continue to thrill his side. With Luton and Bournemouth visiting Goodison Park, there is an opportunity to find real momentum.
For Villa, whose last major trophy was the 1996 League Cup, it was another disappointing evening in their uncomfortable burgundy kit for a club so keen to challenge the elite.
They will remain on the fringes with similar performances as they look for consistency after winning 1-0 at Chelsea on Sunday.
There was never any sign that Unai Emery’s side would build on that result during a sloppy performance in which they were beaten and overpowered.
Youri Tielemans’ half volley ended up on the roof of the net after seven minutes, but that was as good as it got in the first half.
Everton quickly found a pace that the hosts struggled with and one that eventually forced an opener in the 15th minute.
Robin Olsen was put under pressure and his poor clearance fell kindly for Amadou Onana on the edge of the area, before Calvert-Lewin and Arnaut Danjuma worked the ball back to him.
The midfielder then passed a cute ball through to Garner and cut in from ten yards with the static Villa defense.
They looked shabby and worried for the rest of the half as the hosts failed to clear their lines and were unnerved by Everton’s pressing and Danjuma’s direct running.
Only an excellent reflex save from Olsen prevented John McGinn from cutting into his own net six minutes before half-time after another Danjuma burst embarrassed Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash.
Two minutes later the goalkeeper denied Calvert-Lewin as he tried to round him, with the forward wastefully placing the rebound into the side netting.
It was a disappointment that Villa should have taken advantage of, but Jhon Duran fired wildly over in stoppage time to sum up the wayward first half.
It was no surprise that Unai Emery had seen enough and replaced Duran, McGinn and Leander Dendoncker at half-time with Ollie Watkins, Kamara and Lucas Digne.
But it didn’t help the hosts improve and they self-destructed five minutes after the restart.
There was little pressure on Tielemans 40 yards out but his pass sold Konsa short and Calvert-Lewin came in to fire clear and roll past the exposed Olsen.
A clever save from Moussa Diaby’s Jordan Pickford saw the hosts immediately pull a goal back, but there was no question of a comeback.
Olsen thwarted Calvert-Lewin just after the hour mark and it looked like Everton would see out the match comfortably.
Yet Kamara provided a nerve-wracking finish with eight minutes to go when his deflected strike from twenty yards crept into Pickford on the wrong foot.
The goalkeeper saved from Diaby in stoppage time and Douglas Luiz hooked over during a frantic finish, but it was too little too late.
Villa and Castore in talks to resolve shirt issue after player concerns
Aston Villa is working with Castore to improve its kit design after concerns were raised by some members of their women’s team.
Reports emerged on Wednesday that several female players are unhappy at the prospect of wearing the kit in the Women’s Super League season opener against Manchester United on Sunday.
It followed reports that the club’s men’s team had raised concerns about the shirt retaining sweat and feeling uncomfortable.
Villa Women played in the kit during pre-season and Sky Sports News We’re told that despite the concerns, Villa’s players have not made an official complaint to the club or the PFA.