In recent times Everton have cornered the market in crisis and they are now proving the masters of self-destruction.
For the second Premier League match in a row, Everton inexplicably threw away a two-goal lead in another remarkable collapse that will only increase the pressure on manager Sean Dyche.
Everton are so psychologically frail that Dyche cannot relax even when his team appear in relative control, and this stirring fightback from Aston Villa had an air of inevitability about it.
Once Ollie Watkins halved the deficit late in the first-half, Everton fans must have been fearing the worst.
In their last game Everton suffered a complete breakdown to lose 3-2 at home to Bournemouth and this was another masterclass in game mismanagement.
The winner was outstanding, with substitute Jhon Duran crashing a shot in from 25 yards to spark scenes of wild celebration at Villa Park.
Duran's reputation continues to rise and he always seems to deliver in big moments. 'Goals on Film', anyone?
Where does Dyche go from here? Everton have lost four league games for the first time since 1958 and appear broken.
Ahead of the game Dyche was given what appeared a vote of confidence, with majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and director of football Kevin Thelwell understood to be aligned in backing their manager.
Dyche is in the final season of his two-and-a-half year contract and there is little prospect of that being renewed until the ownership saga ends.
Quite what prospective owner John Textor will have made of this will be intriguing. Textor is talking big of his plans to buy the club, with Everton issuing a statement on Friday offering stark clarity of the situation.
Dyche spoke of watching the Bournemouth defeat 47 times on video but will surely want to steer clear of this one.
Villa ended the game well on top ahead of a significant week for the club.
These are exciting, if a little peculiar, times at Villa Park. On Tuesday they will officially return to the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years, underlining the stellar work of Unai Emery and his players.
Villa face Young Boys in Switzerland before welcoming Bayern Munich next month to their own stadium in a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final, arguably the club's finest moment.
Yet a recent row over ticket price increases has threatened to extinguish some of that feelgood factor.
Chris Heck, the chief executive, has been a target for heavy criticism from fans as he bids to boost the club's revenue to £400 million by 2027.
A banner with the words 'Stop Exploiting Loyalty' was unfurled in the North Stand shortly before kick-off.
There were also a smattering of red cards held aloft in the Holte End, but the proposed protests never really materialised.
It resulted in a somewhat subdued atmosphere, and Everton responded after a slow start to take an unexpected lead in the 16th minute.
To the delight of the travelling fans, it was courtesy of a mistake from Everton's former midfielder Amadou Onana, who was booed throughout after his £50 million sale to Villa.
Onana was robbed of the ball by McNeil and the winger advanced towards goal before directing a low shot across Emiliano Martinez, who should have done better.
Villa had been knocked out their stride and fell further behind in the 27th minute. It was another goal of brutal simplicity.
This time it was from a set-piece out on the right, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin easily eluding the home defence to head McNeil's free kick home.
Game over? Not a chance. Villa were back in it nine minutes before the break, with Watkins rising above Michael Keane to head in Lucas Digne's excellent cross.
Dyche will undoubtedly reflect on a moment early in the second half as a major factor in this turnaround.
Calvert-Lewin was sent clear with only Martinez to beat but dithered on the ball and the chance was gone.
It felt costly at the time and Villa were level in the 58th minute. Jack Harrison's attempt to cut out a cross ended in him presenting Watkins with an easy chance from close-range that he was never going to miss.
Villa were now dominant. Calvert-Lewin was so isolated that Everton could have filed a missing persons report.
The pressure was incessant yet, out of nowhere, Duran completed the comeback by smashing a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Calvert-Lewin hit the bar as Everton attempted to respond, but another defeat will only heighten the anxiety.
It is as much the nature of the last two losses that will hurt, that much is obvious. It's all really rather desperate. Villa were definitely the better side, especially in the second-half but Everton did have chances that they did not convert, Calvert-Lewin particularly wasteful.
Another tough one to take for Everton. Two-nil up again and another defeat. They stay rooted to the bottom of the table. Villa move up to third with nine points from their opening four games.
Calvert-Lewin does get the ball but it's a low and hard cross in and it's hard for him to control and turn around. Villa clear and Everton edge closer to defeat.
A minimum of six minutes added time here. Everton attack but this will be another gut punch for them unless they can level. There is an opportunity here as Young is fouled by Jaden rather needlessly. Young stays down for a bit. It's about six or seven yards outside the box. Calvert-Lewin might be able to convert again? He's wasted a couple of opportunities this half...
Rogers is brought down by O'Brien about 25 yards out to win Villa a free-kick. The Everton man is, rightly, booked. Tielemans' free-kick goes straight to Pickford.
Duran has a chance to put himself on a hat-trick as he chests down a close pass on the edge of the six yard box and acrobatically fires over.
Watkins will not get "his" hat-trick as Buendia comes on for his first senior game for Villa since May 2023.
It's so nearly 3-3 just minutes later. Calvert-Lewin is in in the penalty box and this time he does get the shot away but he hits the bar! More misery for Everton.
Duran with a screamer! He must be all of 35 yards out and he just lets fly with his left foot, coming across it and into the top corner past the outstretched arms of Jordan Pickford who is helpless to stop it. What a strike that was. That wouldn't have been out of place in the December 2006 Goal of the Month competition.
And Everton go behind after being two ahead... again.
Aston Villa 3 Everton 2
McNeil on the break, sends in a dangerous cross but a sliding Calvert-Lewin in front of goal cannot connect... they are not out of this at 2-2, obviously.
Maatsen on the left pulls it back for Watkins who is clear in space in the penalty box but he pulls it wide with his left foot from 12 yards out! Poor. Have to hit the target with that. At least.
A rare attack from Everton, but Michael Keane's header is an easy one to deal with for Martinez in the Villa goal.
Jacob Ramsey and Lucas Digne come off and Jhon Duran and Ian Maatsen replace them. Villa now heavy favourites for the win here. Can Everton cling on for a point? At 2-0 that might have been disappointing but not now.
Everton almost camped in their own penalty box now, suffering wave after wave of Villa pressure. Some changes for Everton: Jack Harrison and Idrissa Gueye are off and Jake O'Brien and Orel Mangala come on for Sean Dyche's men.
It is very nearly 3-2 to Villa. Rogers tries to slot in Watkins across goal but he overhits the pass and Watkins cannot stretch to meet it to turn it into the goal. Might have been offside, anyway.
Watkins slots in from six yards out! Everton have again squandered a two-goal lead...
A ball comes in over the top to Digne on the left and the ball is blocked by Jack Harrison of Everton but it can only find Watkins who makes no mistake from close range.
Aston Villa 2 Everton 2
Tarkowsky releases Calvert-Lewin on the counter attack but again he has no support. He tries to find a team-mate by going backwards but the ball is intercepted.
Calvert-Lewin picks up the ball in the box for Everton but needs support and cannot find it. Everton keep the ball but go backwards.
Moments later he misses a golden chance from inside the box! The second phase of the attack sees the striker put back in, beating the offside (I think). He dithers on the ball, though and it is put behind for a corner by a Villa defender before he can get a shot away. It wasn't far away from the far post, either.
A double chance for Villa but none of them are converted! First Rogers who fires a shot from close range at Jordan Pickford and then it falls to Ramsey, whose shot is blocked by James Garner before the ball is booted clear.
There is a yellow card shown to Emi Martinez for... something and I am not sure what.
Watkins is almost through on goal but the loose ball is dealt well by Michael Keane and Everton snuff out the threat.
Everton do the honours this time. A slight delay for kick-off because of a pitch invader.
Cracking first-half, that. Everton 2-0 up after being nowhere but Villa came back into it.
A decent game, this. Not sure if I'd rather be in Villa's or Everton's position.
Seven minutes of added time at the end of the first-half here.
Sorry, Sky Sports, I am not having this nonsense of "gets his goal". What does that even mean? Gets "a" goal, yes. Gets "his" goal, no. Why is it "his" goal? Obviously he scored it but that has been the case for 100 per cent of goals that were not own goals since the advent of the game. Why the change in the last five or six years?
Villa have a free-kick from a dangerous position but the ball is send into the box and is then cleared by Everton, who are feeling the pressure a fair bit now. I dare say they will be happy for half-time to come. Mind you, they got a goal out of nowhere, so why not again?
Well, it's a different game now. Villa in the ascendancy as the atmosphere becomes livelier.
Everton fans will be fearing the worst now after what happened against Bournemouth. It was a dinked cross from the left stood up the back post, and Watkins was never going to miss the target from only two or three yards out.
Aston Villa 1 Everton 2
The Villa fans are up as Watkins bursts into the box but the striker's shot is blocked. Remember the lead that Everton threw away against Bournemouth. Plenty of time for them to lose this, but they would rather be 2-0 up than 2-0 down.
Another chance for Villa as Rogers has space and time to fire a shot goalwards. He lashes it but straight at Jordan Pickford.
A free-kick comes in from the right touchline, it's an inswinger from McNeil and Calvert-Lewin is there about 10 yards out to nod down into the ground and into the back of the goal! A hint of offside for Tielemans but I think he's fine. Isn't he?
A long wait but Everton fans have something to cheer again as the goal is confirmed. They were not in the game for the first 15 minutes and were allowing Villa too much time but they have now scored twice in a little over 10 minutes.
Aston Villa 0 Everton 2
The shape of the game has changed a little since that goal with Everton having a bit more of the ball. Pickford puts the ball out with Mykolenko on the floor. Not from a challenge, I don't believe.
Onana is fouled this time, though as Tim Iroegbunam is late in challenging for a loose ball at waist-height. He is booked.
Onana was writhing around on the floor for some time after that tackle from McNeil but VAR has a look and it's fine. He was just muscled off the ball, really.
Well, they have barely made it into the final third so far this game but Everton are somehow ahead. Onana and McNeil come together in the middle of the pitch and the Villa man charges at goal. He lets fly and the ball goes through the legs of a Villa defender, past Martinez in goal and then slides into the side netting at the far post. Not the most ferocious strike but very well placed. Martinez, perhaps, could have done better.
Aston Villa 0 Everton 1
Another half-chance for Villa. Digne sends in a low cross from the left but Watkins can only glance it behind for a goal kick from about 12 yards out. It came quickly and he couldn't adjust his feet quick enough.
Morgan Rogers has a pop from distance but it's straight at Pickford who was never going to be troubled by this low shot. A little too easy for Villa at the moment.
Watkins heads down and it's cleared off the line by an Everton defender? Or Pickford? It's Ndiaye and it will be another corner.
Watkins with some nifty footwork on the edge of the box. He shifts it out to McGinn on his right but his shot is blocked behind for a Villa corner.
Villa with a couple of incursions into the Everton box but nothing coming of it as yet. McGinn had the ball on the right edge of the box but he slipped over slightly which ended the attack.
A pretty lively crowd at Villa Park so far it seems. It's pretty lively in the middle of the park in the opening stages, too. Ashley Young, who turns 40 next year, is lining up against his former club. A few others out there facing their alma mater, too.
Villa get the game under way. Everton, as in the below picture from 2016, are playing in their white away kit.
Telegraph Sport columnist Jamie Carragher weighed in on what is happening at Everton in his piece yesterday.
Read the full piece here.
They managed to secure safety last season but this term has begun in painful fashion for the Merseysiders. Three games and three defeats puts them at the very bottom of the table. I am not sure whether the international break came at a good time for them but they are obviously second favourites to a Villa side who will appear in the Champions League this year.
The good thing for Sean Dyche is that he at least will be given more time before being given his marching orders, it seems.
About 10 minutes of normal time left in most of those 3pm kick-offs with Bournemouth vs Chelsea on at 8pm.
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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is "happy" to see healthy competition between strikers Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran. Duran has come off the bench twice this season to score goals in games against West Ham and Leicester and help Villa register wins on both occasions.
Watkins has not scored in the opening three games of the campaign but had magnificent opportunities denied by David Raya and Mads Hermansen in matches against Arsenal and Leicester respectively. Emery insists the pair of strikers are increasing the level in each other's game, which he is pleased to see.
He told a press conference earlier this week: "I'm happy - I want our players competing to increase [their level] and add their qualities to us.
"There are two strikers in good form and they played together last year sometimes. We can repeat that again, better than last year because when they played together they weren't in good connection on the pitch.
"I think Jhon Duran is getting more mature and he's getting confidence. Ollie Watkins, after his small problems and trying to get fitness quickly, is progressively feeling better.
"They can play individually or they can play together. I want the best from them from here until the end of the season. I am happy with those players in this form."
Villa welcome Everton to Villa Park for this evening's Premier League kick-off before they travel to Switzerland for their opening Champions League fixture at Young Boys.
It will be the first of many busy weeks for Emery's men as they plan to balance four competitions across the season.
Villa are no stranger to a hectic fixture schedule following their run to the the Europa Conference League semi-finals last year.
He added: "We have had one year of this experience, playing a similar amount of matches until January and then hopefully more depending on whether we are progressing in the Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
"It's difficult to manage the players when they are playing a lot of matches and international matches, but we have experience.
"Last year was very interesting with the season we had. Even with a lot of injuries, we were finishing in good balance. This year, we've started with less injured players.
Defender Ezri Konsa is available for the Everton clash after he was forced off with injury in England's 2-0 win over Finland in midweek.
Tyrone Mings, Boubacar Kamara and Matty Cash remain out while Watkins will feature after pulling out of England duty.
Emery said: "The players are coming back after they played with their national teams, they are in the squad.
"He [Watkins] is progressively getting better, feeling better, and he's in the squad - tomorrow he'll be available to play."
PA Sport