Kevin Mirallas´ stunning late free kick completed a remarkable turnaround for Everton, who came from a goal down to beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Goodison Park and keep pace in the race for the top four.
Everton could have been in the lead inside the opening five minutes, when Aiden McGeady cut inside and smashed an effort off the post, but fell behind against the run of play to Leandro Bacuna´s strike mid-way through the first half following a swift break.
The Toffees continued to dominate possession in search of an equaliser, with Villa offering little in attack, and finally found a breakthrough when Steven Naismith linked with fellow substitute Steven Pienaar to tuck the ball beyond Brad Guzan.
Roberto Martinez´s side continued to push forward and duly claimed a vital winner, as Mirallas curved a vicious free kick beyond the reach of Guzan and just under the crossbar to take all three points.
FT Everton 2-1 Aston Villa