Villa's problems run a lot deeper than the tactics

HAVING watched his Villa team draw a fifth straight Premier League blank, Unai Emery responded to the 0-0 draw at Everton by claiming his team's goalscoring problems were down to tactics.

- By BRIAN DICK

McGinn battles with his opposite number Granit Xhaka at the Stadium of Light

Speaking after the stalemate at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in which they had just one shot on target, Emery said: "Tactically we have to try to help offensively to try to get better positions."

Villa have since broken their duck, a pair of goalkeeping errors at Brentford and at Sunderland on Sunday, mean Harvey Elliott and Matty Cash stand top of the goalscoring charts with one apiece.

However, Cash's swirler in the 1-1 draw with the Black Cats will not come as much comfort as the visitors failed to maximise their advantageous position of being 1-0 up against a newly-promoted side of ten men.