David Moyes' return to Everton was ruined by Ollie Watkins' second-half winning goal for Aston Villa in the Premier League. Manager Moyes was taking charge of the Toffees after replacing Sean Dyche, who was sacked last week, but there was little joy for the Scot almost 12 years after leaving the club for Manchester United.

Senior figures at Villa see every window as an opportunity to augment the squad, but this month feels especially pressing

Follow live coverage as Everton face Aston Villa today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

Adam: Positive signs against a very good Villa side. Moyes seems to have given us a bit of confidence, especially in the first half, and added some much needed width to our game. We have too many players wanting time on the ball and need to find the net of course. I'm mildly optimistic for the rest of the season.

Player ratings and report from Everton 0-1 Aston Villa in the Premier League. Ollie Watkins’ second half strike secured Aston Villa a narrow 1-0 win over Everton on their final-ever Premier League visit to Goodison Park,

Halftime whistle goes, somehow still 0-0 at Goodison Park. 44’ - Chance!! Everton do well to win the ball on the right, and they can string together a concerted attack, DCL does

David Moyes is back in charge of Everton and has a really tough job on his hands. In terms of firepower, he is armed with a water pistol. He has taken over a team which did not score enough goals under Sean Dyche.