Pre-season: Aston Villa 1 West Ham 3 - Report and pictures

Confirmation Steve Bruce will remain as Villa’s manager meant his team’s 3-1 defeat to West Ham was relegated to something of a sideshow.

The evening will remain significant, however, for the fact Villa were watched for the first time in the flesh by the club’s new majority stakeholders, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.

Both sat in the Banks’s Stadium director's box, safe in the knowledge their tenure should contain plenty of occasions more dramatic than this.

First-half goals from Michail Antonio and Marco Arnautovic and a late effort from Robert Snodgrass was enough to earn victory for the clinical Hammers, with substitute Andre Green’s scoring a late consolation for the hosts.

Villa struggling to carve out clear-cut chances despite the efforts of Jack Grealish and a sharp-looking Jonathan Kodjia.

Their best spell ended up being the first ten minutes, when visiting keeper Adrian was forced into action early, tipping over a Grealish cross with Kodjia lurking at the far post.

The Spaniard was forced into an even better stop soon after, when the Hammers failed to clear a Conor Hourihane free-kick and Alan Hutton sent a left-footed shot toward the far corner before it was pushed round the post.

Yet on ten minutes it was the Hammers who took the lead, Antonio taking advantage of a back-pedalling Villa defence to advance and then drill a firm, right-footed shot into the bottom corner.

The second goal, on 27 minutes, came from a similarly simple move. Arthur Masuaku broke down the left and pulled the ball back for a sliding Arnautovic to divert beyond Villa goalkeeper Jed Steer and into the net.

Steer was called into further action early in the second period, diving to his right to keep out a close range Jack Wilshere effort.

Bruce rang the changes on the hour mark, giving Mile Jedinak and Birkir Bjarnason their first taste of pre-season action, the pair having returned later than the rest of the squad after participating at the World Cup.

Adrian was forced into a rare save as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes, though Bjarnason’s effort would have been ruled out by an offside flag.

Green’s introduction provided Villa more pace in the final third and the winger twice gave Adrian reason to worry, first with a shot deflected wide and then with another which whistled narrowly over the bar.

Snodgrass, who had entered the field cheers from Villa supporters as a half-time substitute, then rounded Steer to score the Hammers’ third.

Green would have the final word, however, lashing a firm effort beyond Adrian from the edge of the box with four minutes remaining.

Teams

Villa (4-2-3-1): Steer, Bree, Chester (Jedinak 58), Elphick (Elmohamady 58), Hutton (Taylor 80), Whelan (Green 74), Doyle-Hayes (Bjarnason 58), Hourihane (Lansbury 58), Grealish (Gardner 74), Adomah (De Laet 60), Kodjia (Knibbs 74) Sub not used: Sarkic (gk).