Aston Villa 1 West Ham 3 - Report

This was the third week in a row Dean Smith’s men had tasted defeat, following losses to Manchester City and Burnley.

In terms of the three performances, this was comfortably their poorest. It might be argued it was their worst display to date in a season which has exceeded expectations. Not since suffering their first defeat of the campaign, 3-0 to Leeds, have Smith's men been beaten so heavily and convincingly.

This was a night when Villa never looked quite on their game and even goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez proved himself to be fallible.

The Argentine, particularly brilliant in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Southampton, will feel he should have done better with both of Jesse Lingard’s second half goals.

Lingard, making his first Premier League appearance of the season on loan from Manchester United, got his first five minutes after Tomas Soucek had put the Hammers in front.

His second came shortly after Ollie Watkins had fired home to give Villa hope of a comeback which looked improbable for much of the second period.

This was the fifth game in 15 days for Smith’s team following the coronavirus outbreak which halted their season. With the head coach having made only minimal changes to his starting line-up, it may have been a match too far.

Victory moved the visitors six points clear of Villa in the race for European qualification, though Smith’s team still possess two matches in hand.

On this evidence the Hammers look better equipped for a sustained top-six challenge but this is a season when fortunes have and will change quickly. Villa have a chance to put things right when they host Arsenal on Saturday lunchtime.

Martinez was busy in the early stages here as West Ham made the brighter start.

His first save from Michail Antonio was relatively routine, yet his second was less so, Martinez diving to his left to push away a swerving effort from Lingard.

West Ham’s system, which saw Vladimir Coufal and Ryan Fredericks in tandem on the right, was causing the hosts a few problems.

The pair to teamed up to create a good chance which saw Fredericks cross but the volley from Aaron Cresswell cannoned into Antonio and behind.

Gradually, Villa began to find their rhythm and carve out some good chances.

Watkins should have done better than head a Matty Cash cross over the bar after being finding space at the far post.

Villa’s top scorer then came closer than anyone had to breaking the deadlock with a curling effort which shaved the outside of the upright, the Hammers having suddenly found themselves on the back foot when Craig Dawson miscontrolled, allowing Jack Grealish to pounce.

Ross Barkley, Villa’s match-winner at St Mary’s, squandered another good opening when he pulled a shot wide from 10 yards out after a free-kick was cleared into his path.

Martinez was then forced to palm away a well-struck Cresswell free-kick, while Coufal should have done better than shoot straight at the home keeper from the edge of the box, after good work from Said Benrahma down the left.

With the visitors enjoying a good spell, Soucek then fired a drive narrowly wide of the far post after being teed up by Said Benrahma.

When Barkley was unable to find Grealish in space shortly before the break, it summed up an opening half where Villa hadn’t quite found their usual fluency in attack.

Smith acted at half-time by replacing Anwar El Ghazi, who had struggled to make an impression in his first start for more than a month, with Bertrand Traore.

But it was the visitors who grabbed the lead five minutes after the restart. Villa were slow to push up from their own clearance, allowing Antonio to take possession and find Benrahma, who played a first-time pass into the path of Soucek, running through on the right of the box. The Czech international still had plenty of work to do but fired a blistering finish into the bottom corner and beyond Martinez.

Five minutes later the Hammers doubled their lead as Villa were caught on the break. Watkins lost the ball in the opposition box and when it was played forward the visitors suddenly had a man advantage. Antonio showed great composure to pick out Lingard, who fired a left-footed shot under Martinez, the keeper getting a touch but being unable to keep the ball out.

Villa were rocking and it required a brilliant clearance from Mings to prevent Antonio adding a third and ending the game as a contest.

West Ham keeper Fabianksi was forced to tip over a Traore shot which had flicked off a defender and looped high in the air.

But Villa were struggling to get anything going, Douglas Luiz skewing an attempted volley well wide of the target.

The game seemed to petering it out until, with nine minutes to go, Grealish found Watkins with a delightful ball and the striker slid a finish under Fabianski for his ninth Premier League goal of the season.

Yet almost as soon as hope was restored, it was extinguished, Lingard drilling a shot which proved too powerful for Martinez.

Teams

Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, McGinn, Luiz (Sanson 81), El Ghazi (Traore HT), Barkley (Trezeguet 69), Grealish, Watkins Subs not used: Elmohamady, Engels, Nakamba, Ramsey, Davis, Heaton (gk).

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianksi, Coufal, Ogbonna, Dawson, Cresswell, Rice ©, Soucek, Fredericks (Fornals 84), Lingard (Bowen 90+1), Benrahma (Johnson 88), Antonio Subs not used: Balbuena, Yarmolenko, Lanzini, Diop, Odubeko, Martin (gk).