Matt Maher analysis: Jhon Duran’s priceless stunner is just the ticket for Aston Villa

Never mind goal of the season, this was a goal of the decade contender, at least in Villa Park terms. Not since John McGinn thundered in a volley off the underside of the Sheffield Wednesday crossbar six years ago this month has a left boot connected with the ball any sweeter.

A key difference is McGinn’s goal came in a defeat, whereas Duran’s ensured a euphoric victory which erased the chance any frustration still simmering over the club’s ticket pricing might boil over.

It does not mean everything is sorted on that score, even if a planned protest turned into something of a damp squib. But after so many days debating off-field issues, on Saturday it was very much back to football and in some fashion too, courtesy of a chaotic match which showcased both the strengths and weaknesses of Emery’s team. More often than not attractive in attack, Villa remain rather dicey in defence.

Everton did not have to work too hard to establish a two-goal lead through Dwight McNeil and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the former profiting from a mistake by former Toffees midfielder Amadou Onana, the latter from Villa’s defence doing a disappearing act at a free-kick.

And yet for all it feels like Villa remain a work in progress now a month into the new season, there is no ignoring their quality.

Ollie Watkins would have headed them into an early lead were it not for the presence of Iliman Ndiaye to block his effort on the line, while with better finishing Morgan Rogers might have had a couple of goals.

True, Villa rode their luck. Emi Martinez, having saved a one-on-one effort from Calvert-Lewin in a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park last season, appeared to out- psyche the striker again when he ran through on goal with a chance to re-establish the Toffees’ two-goal lead. Calvert-Lewin also missed the chance to be party pooper when he smashed an effort against the bar a couple of minutes after Duran’s wonder strike.

Yet even at 2-0 down, a Villa comeback seemed more likely than not, such was the ability of Emery’s team to carve out chances.

They will, undoubtedly, have to improve defensively if they wish to maintain a challenge right at the top of the Premier League table.

So far, however, you can’t argue too much with results. Only twice in the last decade have Villa claimed more points from their first four league matches.

Victory also gave them momentum heading into tomorrow night’s much-anticipated Champions League opener at Young Boys, a fixture where Duran should get the start he now surely deserves.

Whether the 20-year-old can deliver when starting is the only remaining question to be answered. Safe to say, he has mastered the art of substitute. This was the third time he has scored coming off the bench this season and all three have been match-winners. That is already a record for a Premier League campaign and we are only four matches in.

Saturday’s goal was the type to make you understand why there are some inside Villa Park who believe Duran could one day be worth £100million. Quite how close they came to selling him to West Ham in the summer is unclear but it already has the look of one of the best deals Villa didn’t do in years.

Such was the manner in which Emery’s team were dominating possession, they may well have found another way through the Everton defence. Yet as the Villa manager later mused in his own roundabout way, for all the importance of tactics and structure, sometimes you just need to smack one in from 30 yards.

Extraordinary moment of brilliance though it was, the most encouraging aspect of Duran’s performances this season has been his consistency. It is for that reason Emery is giving more serious thought than ever before to pairing him alongside Watkins, the latter having erased any concerns about his own form with his first two goals of the season.

Others are also pushing their cause for more playing time. All three of Villa’s wins have involved smart substitutions by Emery and though Onana has enjoyed an impressive start following his £50m arrival from Everton, the record signing’s half-time replacement by another former Toffee, Barkley, gave Villa far greater control in midfield.

Ian Maatsen, who like Duran has come off the bench in all four matches so far, did his cause no harm with another bright cameo. It was the Netherlands international who provided the pass from which Watkins really should have completed a hat-trick and made it 3-2.

By then Duran had entered the fray and minutes later, with one swing of his left foot, he wrote the most memorable chapter yet in his often rocky, yet always captivating, Villa career.