Aston Villa 0 West Ham 1 - Report
Villa fell to their third defeat in four Premier League matches as Pablo Fornals’ deflected strike earned West Ham victory.
The Spaniard’s 74th minute shot hit Ezri Konsa and looped over Villa keeper to settle a game of few chances.
Villa struggled to create opportunities against a disciplined visiting defence and did not look like getting a leveller after falling behind
Defeat leaves them 16th in the table ahead of Wednesday’s trip to leaders Arsenal.
Analysis
That is followed by a home match with champions Manchester City and the fear for Gerrard is that things are likely to get worse before they get better.
The Villa boss had stressed the importance of getting a positive result against the Hammers to quieten the “external noise”. That is now only increase after a toothless display against a team who arrived at Villa Park bottom of the table and having failed to score a goal in their opening three matches.
The Hammers showed little interest in attacking during the opening half and only marginally more in the second. But while the manner of their goal was lucky, Villa’s failure to seriously test Lukasz Fabianksi during the 90 minutes was more troubling.
An illness to Tyrone Mings saw Gerrard name his fifth different centre-back pairing of the season, with Konsa replacing the former skipper.
Douglas Luiz and Philippe Coutinho kept their places after strong showings in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup win at Bolton, with the return of Matty Cash at right-back in place of Ashley Young the only other change.
Villa started the brighter, though it took until the 13th minute for them to muster an effort on goal, Ollie Watkins cutting inside and hammering a shot which hit Zouma and deflected behind.
From the corner, the hosts thought they had taken the lead, Konsa slotting home after Coutinho had headed against the post. But celebrations were cut short by a raised flag, the assistant having correctly spotted Lucas Digne’s delivery had gone out of play.
Villa were on top but struggling to ask searching questions of the visiting five-man defence. Watkins was unable to get any power on a header from a Coutinho cross, before Gianluca Scamacca headed Douglas Luiz’s free-kick over his own bar. When Coutinho then shot straight at Fabianski from 25 yards out, it rather summed up the home side’s increasing lack of ideas.
At least Villa were trying. When Pablo Fornals volleyed 15 yards wide of the home goal late in the half, it drew ironic chants from the visiting supporters.
The second half began with a similar lack of goalmouth action before Cash and Digne combined to deny the Hammers the opener 10 minutes in.
Jarrod Bowen looked like he had only Martinez to beat after being sent clear when McGinn slipped but Cash first did enough to force the forward to check inside, before Digne slid in to block the shot.
Gerrard brought Buendia off the bench and he almost picked out Ings with a through ball.
But with 16 minutes to go it was the Hammers who broke the deadlock, albeit in fortuitous fashion. Fornals found space to shoot 25 yards out and Konsa’s block only sent the ball looping over Martinez and into the net.
The visitors visibly grew in confidence and Villa never looked like finding a way through, substitute Jacob Ramsey’s late shot straight at Fabianksi their only effort on goal.
Key Moments
74 GOAL Pablo Fornals breaks the deadlock, his shot deflecting off Ezri Konsa and over Emi Martinez.
Teams
Villa (4-3-1-2): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Chambers, Digne, McGinn, Kamara, Luiz (Ramsey 66), Coutinho (Buendia 66), Watkins, Ings (Bailey 78) Subs not used: Young, Augustinsson, Nakamba, Iroegbunam, Archer, Olsen (gk).
West Ham (5-4-1): Fabianski, Johnson (Coufal 23), Zouma, Kehrer, Cresswell, Emerson (Benrahma HT), Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Fornals, Scamacca (Antonio 66) Subs not used: Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ogbonna, Coventry, Areola (gk).
