Aston Villa held on to secure a second Premier League victory of the season, winning 2-1 away at Leicester City courtesy of goals from Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran.

Leicester – who have only managed to collect one point from their opening three Premier League fixtures – faced an Unai Emery side who were in no mood to be charitable at the King Power Stadium.

The visitors were on top for much of Saturday’s encounter and they opened their account with a well-worked free-kick routine that resulted in a second goal of the campaign for midfielder Onana after 28 minutes.

Villa doubled their lead after the break when Duran made an immediate impact from the bench, heading in beautifully from Lucas Digne’s centre, but Steve Cooper’s men were not done yet and a sub of their own, Facundo Buonanotte, slammed in from close range to set up a nervy finish.

Leicester pushed for an equaliser but Villa secured a hard-fought win that sees them move up to sixth position on six points ahead of the international break, with the Foxes still waiting for a first win since promotion.

Data Debrief: Villa dominance secures win

Villa were dominant throughout, with an xg of 1.48 to Leicester's 0.39, while they also created a total of four big chances in comparison to the home side's one.

Emery's men have now won their first two away games for the fourth time in the Premier League era, having achieved the feat in 2009-10, 2014-15 and 2020-21.

Unai Emery has said he wants to keep Jhon Duran despite transfer speculation after scoring the winner in Aston Villa's 2-1 victory over West Ham.

Duran slotted home the winner in the 79th minute after Lucas Paqueta’s spot-kick had ruled out Amadou Onana's early opener.

It was Duran's sixth Premier League goal in just 616 minutes of action in the competition, meaning he has averaged a goal every 103 minutes. That rate has only been bettered by Erling Haaland among those who have scored more than five goals.

Duran's goal was all the more fitting given he was seemingly on the verge of joining the Hammers earlier this summer, with the Colombia international even gesturing with an "irons" celebration in a social media video.

But Duran has so far stayed at Villa Park, and Emery is keen to keep it that way, although the Spaniard warned there are no guarantees.

"We were open with every player to accept a good offer and one of those players is him. But we know how much we believe in him and if he leaves it's because the offer is very good, but I want to keep him," Emery told the media.

“We believe in Duran and in his potential. We are always open to working with him if he's like he is today, helping the team and he was fantastic."

Speaking on other possible transfers, Emery suggested Alex Moreno was the most likely left-back to depart the club this summer. 

Having joined in January 2023, Moreno appears to be behind Lucas Digne and new arrival Ian Maatsen in the pecking order, and Nottingham Forest are among the clubs reportedly interested.

"We signed Ian Maatsen and we were speaking with different players in this position. The difficulty is to manage with three left-backs. Moreno is the player who is now close to leaving," he explained.

Debutant Onana headed in Villa's first goal, and while impressed with the midfielder's display, Emery knows there is more to come from the former Everton man.

"There’s still a lot of adaptation ahead, in training and in matches. Today it was his first official match with us. He was very mature, responsible and intelligent," he said.

“I think this is the first step we need. The adaptation is going to be long, because there are a lot of things we want to get out of him, but his potential is most important."

Villa bucked a poor record away at West Ham having gone without a win in their previous nine encounters away from Villa Park.

Despite West Ham’s superior 2.4 expected goals, Emery felt his side were deserving of their victory.

"The first 30 minutes were very good. We were in control of the game, with good positioning. We did'’t concede a corner until the 28th minute. We scored one and had a chance to get a second with Leon Bailey [hitting the post]," he reflected.

"They got a goal too, and we started the second half a bit softly. But we started controlling the game more again and deserved to win."

Julen Lopetegui was left feeling his West Ham side had much to improve on after losing 2-1 to Aston Villa in his first game in charge.

Villa took the lead after just four minutes through Amadou Onana before Lucas Paqueta levelled from the spot before half-time.

There would be no dream start to Lopetegui’s time at the helm, however, as Jhon Duran scored the winner after 79 minutes, before Tomas Soucek missed two clear opportunities to level at the death.

Instead, the Spaniard was left pondering improvements to his new side after a disappointing display.

"We're going to have a lot of things to improve. Above all in the second half we have a big opportunity to win the match and we lost. We have to learn and improve in the next step," he told Sky Sports.

"In the second half we started well, we had the initiative. Maybe in the last moments we didn't take the right decisions. 

"They get to score a second goal. I am not happy again because we suffered one goal in set-pieces that in these kinds of matches these little details are going to be key."

Onana’s opener came from a corner, unsurprisingly given all of his Premier League goals (four) have been headers. However, it called into question the host’s defence as Michail Antonio struggled to mark the Belgium international in the box.

But Lopetegui was also disappointed with the Hammers' lack of edge at the other end of the pitch.

"We had the last 20 minutes under control and had a good chance to score the second goal, but didn't," he later told BBC Match of the Day.

"We suffered with their second goal, but after that we had two clear chances [to equalise]. We didn't [take them] and we have to keep the good things. It's a pity for us and for our fans – we had big expectations and ambitions for this match."

West Ham's big misses were evident in their 2.4 expected goals (xG). In comparison, their opponents proved far more clinical, with their goals coming from 1.89 xG.

There was some reason for optimism for Lopetegui, however, as he handed out six debuts during the match, the most for West Ham in a single game in the Premier League since 2018 against Liverpool (also six).

"For a lot of players it was their first match in our stadium. Max [Kilman] did well. Guido [Rodriguez] too," the former Spain coach added.

"A lot of them have to improve and push the players in the line-up to be more competitive."

Julen Lopetegui lost his first Premier League game in charge of West Ham, as Jhon Duran's strike secured a 2-1 victory for Aston Villa at the London Stadium.

West Ham have spent big in the transfer market to back their new coach, but the Hammers ultimately fell short in their opening match of 2024-25.

Lucas Paqueta's penalty cancelled out an early opener from Villa debutant Amadou Onana, while Leon Bailey had struck the woodwork for the visitors too.

Substitute Duran – who was reportedly a target for the Hammers – would have the final say though, neatly finishing off a team move to restore Villa's lead with 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

Villa's win takes them into the top four, while West Ham sit in 15th, albeit both teams will not be paying too much attention to the table just yet.

Data Debrief: Villa end London Stadium woes

A trip to the London Stadium to start the season was probably not what Villa fans were hoping for when they saw the fixture list, having lost each of their last nine Premier League trips to east London.

But, they dug deep to end that run on Saturday, getting their first away win against the Hammers since April 2011 when they won 2-1 at Upton Park.

Duran proved the hero in the end - he has scored six Premier League goals from just 616 minutes played in the competition, an average of one every 103 minutes; among players to have scored 5+ Premier League goals, only Erling Haaland (85) averages a better minutes-to-goals rate

Meanwhile, West Ham have lost their opening game 16 times in the Premier League, more than any other team in the competition's history. 

Crystal Palace caretaker manager Paddy McCarthy believes new boss Oliver Glasner will have seen plenty to excite him in the Eagles’ battling 1-1 draw at Everton.

Hours after being confirmed as the successor to veteran Roy Hodgson, who stood down earlier in the day, Glasner was watching from the stand at Goodison Park as Palace claimed a point on Monday night.

McCarthy, who took charge of the side along with fellow assistant Ray Lewington after Hodgson was taken ill last week, feels the team being handed over is in fine shape.

McCarthy said: “He’s seen a team with spirit and commitment to the cause. It’s a good point in the right direction at a difficult place to come.

“I’m sure he will take a lot of positives from the game and I bet he can’t wait to come and work with the lads.”

Glasner, 49, inherits a side 15th in the Premier League and hoping to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle after a poor run of form.

The Austrian led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory in 2022 and McCarthy feels he is a strong appointment.

The Irishman said: “He is a manager with great pedigree, a European winner. He is coming into a group that I’m sure he will enjoy working with.

“It is a positive move for the football club and one I’m sure will excite the fans.”

McCarthy revealed he had not yet had the chance to meet Glasner and admitted he did not know if he himself had a future at Selhurst Park.

He said: “It was just announced as we arrived for our pre-match meal. I’ve not had chance to meet him.

“It has been a whirlwind couple of days. I’ve had no communication about myself and my future.”

In terms of the game, a dull encounter was lit up when Jordan Ayew broke the deadlock with a superb long-range strike after 66 minutes.

Everton responded well and their pressure eventually paid off when Amadou Onana headed an equaliser six minutes from time.

McCarthy said: “We created some great situations, Jordan took his goal well. We knew the questions that would be asked coming here.

“I thought we defended resolutely for the majority of the game but unfortunately we couldn’t hang on.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche bemoaned the number of chances the hosts wasted but nevertheless felt the point, which lifted the Toffees out of the bottom three, was a valuable one.

Dyche said: “First half it looked like we were off and they were a side where the new manager was sitting in the stand. They had a bit of edge about them and they played well.

“We weren’t miles off but we weren’t brave enough in possession, were too timid, played backwards too much.

“They scored a good goal, a clean strike, but I thought the mentality then was good to get on the front foot. We certainly did enough to get a point and it was a fine delivery and a fine finish.

“It’s another point on the board and we’ve just popped out of the relegation zone but there were chances – we’ve got to start taking them. There were a couple of golden chances we didn’t take.”

What the papers say

Chelsea will have to pay more than £100million if they want to sign 19-year-old Irish striker Evan Ferguson as Brighton resist letting go of the teenager, the Evening Standard says. Ferguson has signed a deal with Brighton until 2029 after a promising start to his career, including scoring six goals for the club this season.

Everton have slapped a £60million fee on 22-year-old midfielder Amadou Onana, and i sport reports that Arsenal, who are interested in the Belgian, will have to sell a player to afford him.

Fulham, Everton and clubs overseas are said to be interested in Brentford’s 26-year-old midfielder Frank Onyeka, the Guardian reports.

The Times says West Ham are interested in Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez, who Feyenoord value at £30million. The 22-year-old has scored 18 goals in 16 Eredivisie games this season.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jack Clarke: Football London reports West Ham and Crystal Palace are interested in Sunderland’s 23-year-old forward who is valued at around £20million.

Victor Osimhen: Senior figures at Real Madrid believe the club should sign the 25-year-old Napoli striker instead of Paris St Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, according to Football Transfers.

Everton manager Sean Dyche insists he is more concerned with the mentality shown by players in choosing to take a penalty in a shoot-out than he is by the style employed.

The Toffees exited the Carabao Cup on spot-kicks for the fourth time in six years after Amadou Onana’s weak, placed effort to put them through with their fifth and final regulation effort was saved by Fulham’s Bernd Leno.

Idrissa Gana Gueye hit the post in sudden death and Tosin Adarabioyo scored to send the Cottagers into their first League Cup semi-final 7-6 in the shoot-out, after Toffees substitute Beto’s 82nd-minute equaliser had cancelled out Michael Keane’s first-half own goal.

“Everyone has a style of penalty which they think can score. His record has been very strong in all the rounds and when we’ve practised them. That’s his style,” said Dyche of Onana’s disappointing effort.

“If you are brave enough to get up there and take one then you have to be brave enough for the consequences.

“The first question is always who doesn’t want to take one. Simple as that because you need to want to take one. I’m pleased to say the whole group said they would take one.

“It is the moment of truth: the ball’s there, you have to put it in the net.”

Fulham offered little in the way of attacking threat – their only shot on target did not arrive until the 68th minute – but head coach Marco Silva was pleased with the way his side responded to conceding a late equaliser.

“We are all delighted, no doubts about it,” said the former Everton manager, who ended his old club’s four-match winning run.

“It was a huge moment from Bernd when he kept us in the game with the fifth penalty from Onana.

“I am really delighted because it is not easy to keep the composure and quality in the penalty shoot-out.

“We achieved something the club never did in the past. We want more but we are really delighted for this evening and the moment we are living.

“We are going to play the semi-finals with the dream to play at Wembley.”

Sean Dyche deepened the relegation worries of his old club Burnley as his return to Turf Moor ended in a 2-0 win for Everton.

Dyche, who twice guided the Clarets to promotion and kept them up against the odds during a decade at the club, promised to show no sentimentality 20 months after his sacking amid their last, unsuccessful, battle against the drop, and first-half goals from Amadou Onana and Michael Keane silenced Turf Moor.

They proved all Everton needed as they won four league games in a row for the first time in three years, their eighth league win of the season already matching last year’s tally as they continue to climb away from trouble. Without their 10-point penalty, Everton would be up to ninth.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace, the man who sacked Dyche in April 2022, failed to welcome Dyche back in his programme notes but the one-time ‘Ginger Mourinho’ is still loved in Burnley, where the Royal Dyche pub proudly bares his name, and he emerged from the tunnel to a standing ovation from all sides.

Vincent Kompany, who brought Burnley back to the Premier League with a 101-point campaign in the Championship, has rebuilt the club in a different image. Having taken four points from their last three games to match the return from the previous 13, Burnley started well, keeping Everton pegged back.

But the results they desperately need are not there to match, and although Dwight McNeil, one of three former Burnley players in the Everton 11, spurned a glorious chance Everton needed only 19 minutes to take the lead.

James Trafford did well to keep out Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s close-range header but Burnley failed to defend the resulting corner and it was all too easy for Onana to get away from Josh Brownhill and power in at the far post.

Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jay Rodriguez both saw shots blocked in the Everton box, and six minutes later it was 2-0 to the visitors.

Jordan Pickford hit a long free-kick forward and James Tarkowski headed it down for another former Claret, Keane, to try his luck from range. Trafford parried, but the ball struck Dara O’Shea and fell kindly for Keane, in for the suspended Jarrad Branthwaite, to sweep home his first goal of the season.

Burnley’s early promise dissipated in a silent Turf Moor. They did threaten again just before half-time but Ben Godfrey, making only his second Premier League appearance of the season, got a vital toe to Vitinho’s cross before Zeki Amdouni.

At half-time Kompany turned to Lyle Foster, the South Africa forward surprisingly named among the substitutes after a recent absence to deal with mental health issues. The 23-year-old replaced Rodriguez to make his first appearance since October 21.

Burnley were better after the break, but only managed to create half-chances. Sander Berge had an early shot blocked before Foster failed to get enough power on his effort.

After Trafford failed to clear a corner and Keane had a close-range shot blocked on the line, Amdouni offered a more direct threat at the other end when he eyed up Pickford’s far post from 25 yards out, forcing the England goalkeeper to stretch and push it wide.

Berge rattled the crossbar in the 79th minute, though his shot from the edge of the box would not have counted with the flag up.

It was that old familiar story for Burnley, who dominated possession and had 14 shots at goal but ended the day empty-handed, stuck on eight points from 17 games and off the bottom of the table on goal difference alone. Boos greeted the final whistle.

Everton manager Sean Dyche wants his players to develop a physical and mental resilience so they are happy playing three times a week.

The Toffees boss made just two changes for the comfortable 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over his former side Burnley – who made seven – to set up a quarter-final meeting with Fulham.

Dyche’s school of thought is if his side are playing more it means they are involved in more competitions for longer and that is the route to success.

“It’s always tempting (to make changes),” he said after goals from James Tarkowski, Amadou Onana and Ashley Young – his first for the club – saw off the Clarets without much fuss.

“The challenge you have got is if you want to go and be really super-successful you will play a lot of football so I want the players to realise they can play three games a week, that they can have the mentality and take these games on.

“The support systems have never been greater so I don’t think it’s a lot to ask players to play three in a week.

“At the end of the day I want the mentality to be ‘I want to play every game’. It’s not finished but it’s building.”

Momentum is also building after a fifth win in seven matches as Everton gave their late chairman Bill Kenwright the send-off he would have wanted.

Goodison Park rose as one to mark his death last week at the age of 78 and the team ensured the occasion was marked in fitting fashion.

“It’s work in progress but there is progress. When you start winning people start to believe a bit more,” Dyche added.

“I think the players are beginning to believe more and more. Five in seven is a good marker. The players deserve it, they are working very hard on the training pitch.”

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany insists his side are still trying to adapt to life at elite level despite blowing away the Championship last season to book an immediate return to the top flight.

“I have never mastered the art of feeling good after a defeat. The first half was good but mistakes cost us at this level,” he said.

“You don’t accept it, absolutely not. But you put it into context because it could make your head crazy.

“Is it a bad performance? No. The worrying thing would be if you didn’t have belief in the squad but that’s not the case. These are steps we have to make.

“You go through such a huge gap between the Championship and Premier League. It is not an excuse but motivation to get better.

“When you get promoted it is not supposed to be easy. You are on a journey. That is part of what we are experiencing now.”

Everton gave their late chairman Bill Kenwright the send-off he would have wanted as ex-Burnley duo James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil played a major part in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over their former club.

On a night when the fanbase, which has often been divided over the role of Kenwright spanning almost two decades, rose as one to mark his death last week at the age of 78, the team ensured the occasion was marked in fitting fashion.

Tarkowski’s header opened the scoring in the 13th minute and the centre-back’s aerial prowess came to the fore early in the second half when he nodded McNeil’s header back into the danger area for Amadou Onana to poke home from close range.

Ashley Young’s first Everton goal in added time came courtesy of substitute Beto’s driving run along the byline, handing Toffees manager Sean Dyche victory against his former side.

The scoreline flattered Burnley, struggling after promotion straight back to the Premier League, whose side registering seven changes struggled to lay a glove on their hosts.

They were no match for Everton, watched by owner Farhad Moshiri for the first time in over two years, and they are growing in confidence after a fifth victory in seven matches – their best run in a non-Covid-19 season since May 2019.

From the moment Tarkowski buried a header from a McNeil cross the result was barely in doubt.

The centre-back’s celebration was low-key against his former team but McNeil, whose first-half stint on the left wing put him in the firing line of the travelling support, turned and cupped his ear to Clarets fans.

And he almost silenced them completely with a drive just over from the edge of the penalty area.

Burnley’s inability to play out from the back against better quality opposition was highlighted when Dara O’Shea, one of four players to be retained from the Bournemouth defeat, passed straight to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and was fortunate the striker’s low shot was off target.

McNeil’s harsh treatment from the visiting fans was extended onto the pitch when Ameen Al-Dakhil, another player keeping his place, was booked for chopping him down as he threatened to break.

Burnley’s best chance was denied by a sliding James Garner cutting out a cross which was destined to be a Jay Rodriguez tap-in at the far post.

Everton – particularly goalkeeper Jordan Pickford making his 250th appearance for the club – were barely extended and more calamitous defending early in the second half led to another goal.

Al-Dakhil lost all perspective of where the ball was, allowing it to bounce off him into the path of Calvert-Lewin whose shot was deflected behind.

Onana delivered the killer blow from the resulting corner and another close-range strike from Young saw Everton coast into the quarter-finals.

Everton have condemned “vile” racist abuse aimed at midfielder Amadou Onana on social media and vowed to track down the alleged perpetrator.

The Premier League club released a statement on Monday revealing the 22-year-old Senegal-born Belgium international had been targeted and reiterating its zero-tolerance stance on discrimination.

An investigation is under way with the Toffees ready to support police in any action they may take.

The statement read: “Everton Football Club strongly condemns any form of racist and discriminatory abuse towards our players.

“The club is aware of a racist post targeted at Amadou Onana. Such abuse is vile and will not and should not be tolerated.

“The club is conducting an investigation to identify the individual responsible and will also be supporting police with any investigation they conduct.

“We must all take a zero-tolerance stance by reporting such behaviour to social media platforms and the authorities. Racism has no place online, in our stadia or in our communities.”

Onana, a £34million signing from French club Lille last summer, played the full 90 minutes in Sunday’s 4-0 Premier League defeat at Aston Villa.

The defensive midfielder has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks.

What the papers say

Manchester United are reportedly considering a move for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana, according to the Daily Mail. Juventus are also said to be monitoring the 21-year-old Belgium international, who caught international attention during the Qatar World Cup.

The Nottingham Post reports Nottingham Forest have had a bid for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare rejected. The 25-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time, but citing ESPN Netherlands, the paper says Forest’s approach was below PSV’s expectations, with Sangare believed to be valued at £32m.

The Daily Mail, via Sky Germany, says Bayern Munich have turned down an initial bid from Manchester United for defender Benjamin Pavard.

The Daily Mail also reports that Everton are close to signing Leeds winger Jack Harrison on a season-long loan.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Neymar: The Paris St Germain forward has agreed a two-year deal with Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal, according to L’Equipe.

Folarin Balogun: Tottenham are considering a move for the Arsenal forward to replace Harry Kane, reports Gazzetta Dello Sport.