What happened at full-time spoke volumes as Everton transfer priority confirmed

Everton analysis from Connor O’Neill after the 0-0 Premier League draw with Aston Villa

Hooper shows a yellow card to Jack Grealish of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Aston Villa at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Liverpool, England.

It has been a tradition for some time now. But whenever the Premier League anthem plays before Everton home games, it is greeted by boos from Blues supporters.

That was no different here. Everton supporters always find time to make their feelings known on the Premier League. They have done so since the club was docked 10 points, reduced to six on appeal, for breaching financial rules back in November 2023.

But the boos didn’t end there. And by the end they were reserved for one man. That man being referee Simon Hooper.

This was not one of his better games. In fact, it could be argued it was one of his worst.

And to be clear, the reason Everton didn’t pick up all three points here was because they didn’t take their chances.

The Blues more than had enough opportunities to make it four wins in a row in all competitions. But just because Beto couldn’t find a way past Emiliano Martinez does not mean that the performance of Hooper should not be highlighted.

At one point in the game it felt like every 50/50 went the way of Unai Emery’s side. But by the end, it felt like every tackle was a foul.

Somehow Everton managed to commit 17 fouls during the 90 minutes, two more than Villa.

David Moyes criticised refereeing ­standards across the opening round of Premier League fixtures after his side lost to newly-promoted Leeds United after a controversial penalty.

Moyes made his feelings known to Chris Kavanagh that night after marching onto the Elland Road pitch at full-time.

He didn’t repeat that here, but the boos reserved for Hooper and his team of match officials as they made their way off the pitch spoke volumes.

Moyes hint dropped after deadline day transfer

When team news was released 1 hour and 15 minutes before kick-off, a couple of questions were answered.

Vitalii Mykolenko missed out, but Iliman Ndiaye was fit enough to start, while James Garner was moved to left-back and Tim Iroegbunam was handed another start.

It was his third of the season, but it could be his last for a whole, as he endured an afternoon to forget.

A couple of careless passes in the first half went unpunished, but he was booked just before the interval for a foul on Ollie Watkins on the edge of the box.

And by the time the clock hit 66 minutes, Moyes had clearly seen enough, as Iroegbunam made way for Merlin Rohl.

The midfielder joined the Blues on deadline day from Bundesliga side Freiburg on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy in the summer of 2026.
‌
The 23-year-old joined Freiburg from Ingolstadt in 2022 and made 60 appearances, playing in several roles in midfield as well as deputising at left-back.

But here he joined Idrissa Gueye in the middle of the pitch.

Writing in his ECHO column earlier this week, Michael Ball revealed he had heard whispers that Rohl had been impressing with his performances in training.

Although he didn’t set the world alight here, clearly he has made a mark on his new manager, who turned to him first to try and change the game.

Whether Rohl starts in next weekend’s derby against Liverpool remains to be seen; that feels like a baptism of fire.

One also suspects that next weekend’s team selection will hinge on whether Mykolenko returns to full fitness.

But after this, two things are clear: Rohl is very much in Moyes’ thoughts, while Iroegbunam might have just played himself out of the team.

Summer transfer priority confirmed

As ever when Everton play, no matter what the result, there are always talking points.

There is always something for Blues supporters to get their teeth stuck into. Sometimes they can be seeking clarity on a matter or incident that occurred during the game.

But here Blues supporters received clarity about something before a ball was even kicked. Not something that happens very often.

This was Everton’s first game since the summer transfer window closed, so it presented CEO Angus Kinnear with the opportunity to address supporters.

And he did so in his notes in the matchday programme.

In those notes he revealed that Everton’s first priority this summer was to tie down Jarrad Branthwaite to a new deal.

“The first priority was to secure the long-term commitment of Jarrad Branthwaite, a player who had been attracting interest from several Champions League clubs,” he wrote.

‌
“The fact Jarrad, one of the