Aston Villa suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Everton on Sunday, marking another surprising result in a weekend that saw Premier League title challengers stumble.
Defensive Blunder Leads to Decisive Goal
Thierno Barry scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute, capitalizing on a defensive mistake. Villa center back Pau Torres gave the ball away on the edge of the area, and goalkeeper Emi Martinez fumbled the soft shot, allowing Barry to supply a deft finish.
A victory would have lifted Villa above Manchester City into second place and trimmed the gap to league leader Arsenal to just four points.
First Home Loss Since August
It was Villa's first home loss since August 31, ending an impressive run. Since that defeat to Crystal Palace, Villa had won 11 consecutive games at home across all competitions—the team's best streak at Villa Park since the 1989-90 season.
Villa remains behind second-placed Manchester City on goal difference and seven points adrift of Arsenal.
Emery: Not a Title Contender
Unai Emery acknowledged his team may be overachieving.
"We are still not a contender to be in the top five. We are in it now, but we are still not a contender. There are other teams with more potential than us."
Everton jumped to 10th place with the win.
Wolverhampton Extends Unbeaten Run
The last-placed Wolves held Newcastle to a 0-0 draw, extending its unbeaten run to five games in all competitions.
Having collected just two points from its first 18 league games, Wolves has earned six points from its last four. However, the team remains 14 points from safety and appears destined to return to the Championship after eight years in the top flight.
The immediate aim is to gain four more points to avoid the lowest ever Premier League season total of 11 points, set by Derby County in 2007-08.
The draw ended Newcastle's streak of three straight league wins, moving the club to eighth place—just two points off fifth-placed Manchester United.
Steve Douglas, The Associated Press