Jarrod Bowen’s deflected strike gave West Ham an unlikely lifeline ten minutes after half-time, having watched teammate Edson Álvarez gift-wrap the hosts a two-goal cushion five minutes earlier. Yet it was the hosts who reigned supreme on their return from the latest international break with a 4-1 win – courtesy of Douglas Luiz’s brace and strikes from Ollie Watkins and substitute Leon Bailey.
Villa can savour a frantic victory, for now
- Douglas Luiz scores brace, Ollie Watkins has goal and assist while sub Leon Bailey adds a late fourth as Villa return from international break with emphatic home win before Alkmaar trip for Europa Conference group stage fixture against Eredivisie side AZ on Thursday (5:45pm BST)
- David Moyes’ 14-match unbeaten streak against Aston Villa ends as hosts now just two points off top spot before Ange Postecoglou’s unbeaten Tottenham side look to go top at home vs. Fulham tomorrow night
- A consolation for the visitors: West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen scored his 100th senior club goal and joined esteemed company as the third player in Premier League history after Thierry Henry (2001-02), Mohamed Salah (2021-22) to score in five consecutive top-flight games away from home
- Bailey, having come off the bench for his fifth club goal of the season, tells Sky: “The atmosphere today was brilliant, it gives us confidence. We need to continue this, getting results, the team spirit is great – whether you start or come on – we understand our role and I did that with a great goal today. Sky is the limit, just stay focused and move onto Thursday.”
Tuesday marks a year since Unai Emery was appointed as Aston Villa manager.
The four-time Europa League winner across two spells with Sevilla and Villarreal was ridiculed during his 16-month stint at Arsenal and this affair typified how his second reign in England has been so far: nervy at times but triumphant elsewhere too.
Douglas Luiz was pleased, both at their ever-growing league win streak at home – 14 and counting – but more importantly being asked post-match about fishing celebrations after netting a brace, an ode to his favourite pastime back in Brazil.
Transfer speculation surrounding Arsenal’s long-standing interest will persist as his performances continue to help Villa achieve their targets going forward, but Emery holding his best players to high standards stands them in good stead too.
They flickered between sloppy and superb at times here against an unpredictable West Ham side, and it’s why many critics don’t believe they’ll sustain juggling multiple competitions as we enter the winter months and fixtures pile up quickly.
Early warning signs
Barely 45 seconds had passed before the game’s first half-chance, albeit one met by a delayed offside flag on the near side after Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta combined, the latter laying off goalscorer Jarrod Bowen who forced Emiliano Martinez into a smart stop from point-blank range.
It was an opportunity that came too easily and West Ham continued trying to exploit Villa’s high backline, but the hosts were also utilising their narrow midfielders – John McGinn and Nicolo Zaniolo – well by sliding them into dangerous positions.
Speaking of danger, Luiz ushered Bowen away from a promising sight of goal before forcing an acrobatic save from Alphonse Areola moments later down the other end.
Ezri Konsa couldn’t adjust in mid-air and the France international comfortably caught his effort from the subsequent corner, but it was a timely reminder about how quickly things could turn.
James Ward-Prowse made a clever intervention minutes later to deny Moussa Diaby from latching onto Lucas Digne’s pass as Villa were growing in confidence, carving their visitors open without warning through one incisive Pau Torres through ball.
It should’ve been 1-0 to the hosts after 15 minutes, Watkins looking ruefully having skewed his shot wide following a great first touch as Diaby found him in the box.
The pair combined again two minutes later, as Kurt Zouma made a last-ditch sliding interception to keep the England international at bay for the meantime. You could sense there was more to come and that sequence foreshadowed a busy evening.
Bowen, Alvarez and Nayef Aguerd made clearances in the West Ham half as Villa intensified the pressure and after a lull period, broke the deadlock on 30 minutes.
Diaby dragged a hopeful shot wide, before Zaniolo lacked composure twice in quick succession. The Italian, on-loan from Galatasaray this term, responded by luring two players out wide to him, before cutting the ball back across towards Watkins.
He might’ve shot but instead returned the favour and teed up Luiz, who fired low and hard beyond Areola, whose outstretched hand could only palm it in off his near post.
In doing so, it meant Luiz became the first ever Villa player to score in six consecutive league games and broke a joint-tie record previously set by Dwight Yorke (1996-97).
Diaby and Watkins once again were in sync two minutes later, Areola tipping the latter’s effort past his near post for a corner as Villa’s transition speed was on show.
West Ham needed a reprieve and besides a few deft Paqueta touches, weren’t having much luck – even after a VAR check for handball gave Ward-Prowse a threatening free-kick opportunity plum on the edge of the area.
The deadball specialist looked to gain an advantage by moving the ball back a few yards and as Villa Park braced themselves, the ironic jeers soon followed as Torres blocked it in the wall. Yet, they still fashioned openings without the finishing touch.
Ward-Prowse’s clever pass could’ve created an equaliser shortly afterwards, but Paqueta’s acrobatic effort wasn’t struck cleanly before Antonio and fullback duo Vladimir Coufal and Emerson floated dangerous crosses into the area that petered out. The game was still there, in an end-to-end encounter with momentum swings.
With all of that in mind, Alvarez conceding a penalty four minutes after the restart is made all the more sloppy. Paqueta was being harried into a backwards pass by Boubacar Kamara, he slid the ball across intending for Alvarez but an alert Konsa latched onto possession before, so Alvarez instead bundled him over in the box.
Luiz sent Areola the wrong way, firing down the middle with the spot-kick to complete his brace and provide some breathing space.
Bowen’s landmark goal merely a consolation
Bowen made sure it was for a mere seven minutes though, when his strike from distance took a wicked deflection off Torres, arrowing into the bottom corner.
2-1 and suddenly game on, West Ham had their tails up for 15 minutes. Villa right-back Matty Cash headed Aguerd’s half-volley over the crossbar, while Antonio buzzed around dangerously in the final third as the roles were reversed: David Moyes’ men now more dangerous in transition, the Villains having to survive a nervy period.
They did just that and restored their two-goal advantage rather abruptly, minutes after Moyes threw on £38m summer signing Mohammed Kudus for creative impetus.
Rather cruelly, it was the winger who inadvertently set the wheels in motion for Villa’s third after Torres’ poor pass out from the back found its way to McGinn via the former Ajax man’s heavy touch as he tried to intercept and ended up with a pre-assist.
The Scotsman wasted no time in threading through an inviting pass towards a sprinting Watkins on the break, Zouma couldn’t delay for too long and instead watched the 27-year-old twist and turn before firing at the near post with venom.
Areola had no chance and that eased any tension, before Youri Tielemans and Bailey combined down the opposite flank in the 88th minute: Bailey left Aguerd in his rearview mirror, then steered smartly into the far corner to add a fantastic fourth.
What’s next?
As mentioned in the introductory paragraphs above, Aston Villa now return to European competition as AZ Alkmaar await them on MD3 of their Europa Conference League campaign. Having lost their opener away at Legia Warsaw and squeezed past Bosnian side Zrinjski on MD2, this won’t be a straightforward assignment either.
They entertain newcomers Luton next Sunday, before Nottingham Forest away and hosting AZ (MD4) and Fulham between now and the year’s final international break.
West Ham are another British team in European action and will look to maintain their perfect Europa League group stage campaign when travelling to Greece this coming week as Super League leaders Olympiacos are next on the agenda.
Everton, Arsenal (EFL Cup), Brentford, Olympiacos (MD4) and Forest are scheduled fixtures between Oct. 26 and Nov. 12 so there’s little time to lick their wounds.
Picture source: Getty Images
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