The 2018-2019 Premier League table saw Everton finish a respectable eighth, agonizingly close to securing a Europa League playoff spot.
Heading into their third fixture of the new campaign, the Toffees were unbeaten.
A gritty 0-0 draw on the road against Crystal Palace was followed by a narrow, hard-fought 1-0 victory at Goodison Park against Watford.
For Aston Villa, hosting Everton was a massive step up in weight class.
Marco Silva's side boasted an impressive roster filled with international talent.
Furthermore, with two rounds of the Premier League in the books, Villa's tactical identity under Dean Smith was no longer a secret.
Opposing managers were beginning to figure out how the newly promoted side operated.
During the pre-match press conference, Marco Silva made sure to assert Everton's dominance, his confidence bordering on arrogance.
"Aston Villa are currently occupying a position in the table where they simply do not belong," Silva told the press pool, a dismissive smirk on his face.
"For a newly promoted side to be sitting second is unbelievable. Yes, they beat Tottenham on opening day, but anyone who watched that match knows they were incredibly lucky. As for beating Bournemouth, there is nothing to boast about there. Bournemouth's only ambition is survival."
Silva leaned closer to the microphones. "Everton has only one objective at Villa Park: we are going to take all three points. We have a fully fit squad, so we will field our absolute strongest eleven. I am confident my players will deliver a harsh lesson in Premier League reality to this newly promoted side."
...
The following evening.
By 8:00 PM, ominous dark clouds had settled over Villa Park, threatening a torrential downpour.
Despite the grim forecast, the stands were packed to the rafters.
Official figures recorded a staggering 43,000 fans in attendance—eclipsing the crowd from the Bournemouth match.
Inside the stadium, Steve hermon set the scene for the global broadcast.
"Welcome, football fans around the world, to Villa Park for Friday Night Football! It's the third round of the Premier League season as Aston Villa prepare to host Marco Silva's Everton."
"Let's look at the lineups for tonight's clash. Dean Smith sets Villa up in their trusted 4-1-4-1. Tom Heaton starts in goal. A backline of Frédéric Guilbert, Björn Engels, Tyrone Mings, and Neil Taylor. Douglas Luiz sits as the lone defensive anchor."
"Ahead of him, it's a dynamic midfield four: Jota Peleteiro, John McGinn, Jack Grealish, and the teenage sensation, Theodore Bjorn. Leading the line is the Brazilian, Wesley."
"For the visitors, Marco Silva deploys a 4-2-3-1. England's number one, Jordan Pickford, is in goal. A defensive unit of Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina, Michael Keane, and Séamus Coleman. The double pivot features André Gomes alongside Morgan Schneiderlin."
"The attacking trio is packed with flair: Bernard, Gylfi Sigurðsson, and Richarlison operate behind the lone striker, Dominic Calvert-Lewin."
The team sheets immediately sparked a massive reaction on Twitter.
@EPL_Scout: Look at that Everton lineup. Digne, Mina, Gomes... it's basically Barcelona B.
@HolteEnder99: Let them bring Barcelona B. Even if the real Barca showed up tonight, Theo would run the midfield!
@ToffeesHub: Marco Silva talked a massive game yesterday. If we don't back it up and smash Villa tonight, the press is going to slaughter him.
@VillaTillIDie: Let's see if Everton can actually deal with Bjorn. Three in a row, let's go! UTV!
...
At five past eight, referee Michael Oliver led the two sides out of the tunnel.
The roar of the Holte End echoed into the night sky.
After the coin toss, the battle officially commenced.
Villa won the kickoff.
Marco Silva's condescending pre-match comments had clearly hit a nerve in the home dressing room.
From the opening whistle, Villa played with raw, aggressive intent.
In the second minute, Grealish picked up the ball in the center circle and immediately drove hard at the Everton lines.
His direct run instantly triggered the Everton press.
Gomes and Schneiderlin stepped out, looking to double-team the Villa captain and strip him of the ball.
Sensing the trap closing, Grealish slipped a quick pass out to Jota on the right wing. The twenty-eight-year-old Spaniard had arrived in the summer from city rivals Birmingham City.
While he possessed neat footwork and decent pace, his defensive work rate was notoriously lazy, making him a wildcard in Smith's system.
As Jota received the ball, he was immediately confronted by Lucas Digne. Jota threw a series of sharp step-overs, trying to unbalance the French fullback.
Digne didn't bite.
He jockeyed perfectly, staying touch-tight and refusing to commit to a rash tackle.
Realizing he couldn't beat his man, Jota cut his losses and whipped a heavy cross into the Everton box.
Thump!
Wesley had timed his run, launching his massive frame forward to attack the delivery before Keane and Mina could react.
But Jordan Pickford was fully alert.
The Everton keeper charged off his line, soaring through the air to cleanly pluck the cross out of the sky.
A minute later, Everton launched a counter-attack.
André Gomes collected the ball deep in his own half and instantly threaded a scything, line-breaking pass down the right channel.
The ball bypassed Neil Taylor completely and dropped perfectly into the path of Richarlison.
The twenty-two-year-old Brazilian winger killed the ball dead. Isolated against Taylor, Richarlison threw three lightning-fast step-overs before violently chopping the ball inside onto his favored left foot.
His explosive acceleration was terrifying.
Taylor was completely burned by the cut inside, left trailing in the Brazilian's wake.
Richarlison reached the edge of the penalty box.
Without breaking stride, he unleashed a shot!
McGinn scrambled to block it, lunging desperately to charge down the shot.
He was a fraction of a second too late.
The ball rocketed toward the goal!
In the chaos of the penalty area, Tyrone Mings threw his right boot out, trying to execute a desperate block.
The ball slammed into Mings's shin pad, causing a massive deflection.
The sudden change in trajectory completely wrong-footed Tom Heaton.
The Villa keeper, who had originally positioned himself perfectly to make the save, could only watch in agonizing slow motion as the deflected ball trickled agonizingly past his fingertips, kissed the inside of the post, and rolled into the net!
0-1.
"Richarlison strikes!" Steve roared. "Everton draw first blood inside five minutes! A wicked deflection off Mings leaves Heaton completely stranded, and the Toffees strike early at Villa Park!"
The forty-three thousand fans inside the stadium fell into a stunned, breathless silence.
The deafening roar that had started the match vanished instantly.
Down on the touchline, Dean Smith's jaw clenched, his expression tight.
A few yards away, Marco Silva was absolutely ecstatic, furiously pumping his fists toward the traveling Everton fans.
The early goal gave Everton a massive injection of confidence.
They showed absolutely no intention of sitting back on their lead.
Five minutes later, they poured forward again.
This time, Gylfi Sigurðsson pulled the strings.
The Icelandic playmaker controlled the ball in the center circle. Douglas Luiz immediately stepped out of his holding role to press him, but Sigurðsson simply used his powerful, broad frame to shield the ball, effortlessly shrugging off the Brazilian's challenge.
Sigurðsson hit the accelerator, driving straight at the heart of the Villa defense.
Just as he prepared to enter the final third to slip a pass through to Calvert-Lewin, a claret and blue shirt stepped into his path.
"Bjorn steps up to meet him," Steve noted. "The Norwegian international goes face-to-face with the Icelandic maestro."
Theodore didn't try to poke the ball away.
He initiated a heavy, brutal shoulder charge, smashing directly into Sigurðsson.
Thanks to the physical development he had prioritized in the gym, Theodore possessed an impressive Strength attribute of 86—a formidable figure even among Premier League veterans.
Sigurðsson was renowned for his power, but the sheer force of the teenager's impact staggered him.
While Theodore didn't put him on the floor, he completely killed the playmaker's momentum.
Caught off guard by the physical aggression, Sigurðsson quickly shoveled the ball out to Bernard on the left wing to avoid losing possession entirely.
Thanks to Theodore's aggressive press, the attack was forced out wide.
Bernard received the ball and immediately isolated Guilbert.
The diminutive Brazilian winger possessed terrifyingly quick feet.
He run, shifted his weight, and effortlessly skipped past the Villa fullback, driving straight into the penalty area.
Bernard checked his angle, locked onto Heaton, and pulled his right leg back to curl a shot into the far corner.
Just as his boot swung through, Theodore and Douglas Luiz arrived.
The two midfielders threw themselves into a desperate, synchronized slide tackle from either side, executing a perfect pincer movement.
They cleanly stripped the ball from Bernard before he could make contact.
The loose ball popped out to Theodore.
Because both Sigurðsson and Bernard had committed high up the pitch, there were no Everton players in the immediate vicinity to press him.
Theodore picked his head up.
With his elite vision, he instantly mapped the pitch.
He saw Everton's high defensive line and the massive pocket of space they had left behind.
He saw Wesley making a brilliant, darting run off the shoulder of Yerry Mina.
Theodore didn't take an extra touch.
He wrapped his right boot around the ball, executing a stunning, sixty-yard defense-splitting pass!
The ball sailed through the Birmingham sky, dropping on an absolute dime.
It cleared the heads of both Mina and Keane perfectly, landing right in the path of Wesley's run.
Because Everton's line was so high, Wesley found himself with fifty yards of open grass.
It was a pure one-on-one with Jordan Pickford.
"Wesley is through!" Steve's voice hit a crescendo. "An otherworldly pass from Bjorn absolutely shreds the Everton defense!"
Wesley bore down on goal.
Pickford rushed off his line, trying to close the angle, but the Brazilian didn't panic.
He opened his body and slotted a cool, composed finish into the bottom corner!
"IT'S IN!" Steve screamed. "Aston Villa equalize in the blink of an eye! A phenomenal assist from the teenager, and Wesley makes no mistake!"
Inside the Sky Sports studio, the pundits were in disbelief.
"That pass is pure sorcery," Jamie Carragher noted during the replay. "To see that run and execute a sixty-yard ball with that kind of precision... the Everton backline didn't stand a chance."
...
Down on the pitch, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane exchanged looks of pure shock.
They couldn't comprehend how a seventeen-year-old had just casually dismantled their entire defensive structure with one swing of his boot.
On the touchline, Marco Silva's arrogant smirk had vanished, replaced by an expression of pure unadulterated horror.
Inside Villa Park, forty-three thousand fans completely lost their minds, the stadium violently shaking as the famous chorus of "Hi Ho Aston Villa" rang out into the night.
After the restart, Marco Silva frantically called Morgan Schneiderlin over to the touchline.
The manager's instructions were simple and desperate: Man-mark Theodore Bjorn.
Do not let him dictate the game!