Aston Villa boss Remi Garde admits they missed Carlos Sanchez for their rout at Everton.

Sanchez, who played well in the 0-0 draw with Manchester City, started on the bench at Goodison Park after a long jaunt away on international duty with Colombia.

"I think we missed a little bit of character, we were too light on the field," admitted Garde.

"We didn't win enough challenges, enough duels - that was a key point of the game.

"We were better in the second half. A player like Carlos Sanchez has done quite well in this situation.

"The first half we didn't win any challenges and when you don't it's too difficult to win the game."