Aston Villa 1 - 1 Everton

There was no Thierry Henry moment for Robbie Keane, and precious little else to cheer for the dwindling numbers of supporters of these once great clubs, where hard times undermine their great expectations.
Keane made a brief cameo appearance as a late substitute after joining Aston Villa on loan from LA Galaxy in the MLS. But he was unable to emulate Henry, who scored for Arsenal on his return on loan from NY Red Bulls.
It was Keane’s Galaxy team-mate, Landon Donovan, who played a more decisive part, when he set up Victor Anichibe’s equaliser for Everton with a defence-splitting pass, a moment of rare quality in a game that was as grey as Everton’s away kit.
Donovan is also on loan, with Everton manager David Moyes struggling to find the funds to add further transfers to that of Darron Gibson, who made his debut after signing from Manchester United on Friday.
The club’s chief executive Robert Elstone took the unusual step of addressing the club’s problems publicly via a blog, admitting gates are falling and money is tight at Goodison Park. He hinted at organised unrest among supporters, who have become frustrated at the way the club has fallen behind their rivals.

Attendances are also falling at Villa, and there were around 10,000 vacant seats on a day when the two sides ground out their sixth draw in the past seven meetings.
Darren Bent had put Villa ahead early in the second-half, only for Anichibe to equalise, and although Everton felt they should have had a penalty when Alan Hutton appeared to push Louis Saha as he went for a header, a draw was the right result.
“We could have done with a win, but at least we didn’t lose,” said Villa manager Alex McLeish, glad to end a run of four successive home defeats. “But with performances like that, victories will come.”
Moyes, too, was happy enough with his team’s performance but would have preferred two more points.
“I thought we deserved more but I am sure Alex would say the same. We had a good shout for a penalty denied, but I was pleased with the way we played. Henry has gone to Arsenal and Keane to Villa from the MLS, but I thought Donovan was the best player on the pitch.”
Villa were first to threaten a goal when Stilyan Petrov fired in a free-kick from 25 yards that Tim Howard had to punch away, and then Saha’s header was well saved by a fit-again Shay Given, who also had to stop Stephen Warnock heading in a spectacular own-goal.
Bent’s opener came in the 56th minute, the England striker clipping the ball high into the net from close range after being found by a Stephen Ireland cutback.
It was with his first touch of the ball that substitute Anichibe hit back in the 69th minute, when he was put into position to score by an excellent through-pass from Donovan.
Keane was sent on for the final 10 minutes to a roar of approval from the home supporters, and Bent forced Howard to make another fine save. But Given was also in action at the other end, saving well from Anichibe as the game drifted towards its inevitable conclusion.
“The expectations of Villa fans are to win here, but there was much improvement in the performance,” added McLeish.
“We are disappointed not to have got more out of it. Robbie Keane had not played for two or three weeks but he will give us more, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, in the next month or two.”