(Football news) Luiz gave Aston Villa a two-goal lead in the 30th and 52nd minutes, but just before the hour mark, a deflected Jarrod Bowen shot from West Ham cut the lead in half.
However, Ollie Watkins scored a third goal for Aston Villa in the 74th minute, and Leon Bailey scored the last goal for Unai Emery’s team.
With 19 points from the match, Aston Villa is now in fifth place in the Premier League table, while West Ham, which has lost three of their four league games this year, is still in ninth place. Goalie Emiliano Martinez denied Bowen’s clear-cut attempt as West Ham put Villa to the test early on, but the offside flag was soon raised.
The first chance for Aston Villa came in the tenth minute when Luiz’s curling shot was expertly saved by West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. Tomas Soucek had headed a Michail Antonio cross over the bar.
Watkins gave Villa another good chance in the sixteenth minute when he created some space inside the box and fired into the bottom corner, but his shot went just wide of the goal.
After Moussa Diaby missed an attempt to put West Ham ahead in the 28th minute, Villa went ahead through a strike from Luiz that found its way into the bottom corner of the net despite Areola’s best efforts. The striker’s strength was too much for the goalkeeper, and there was also a slight deflection.
Watkins went near once more in the thirty-second minute when Areola, who was not getting much assistance from his defenders, pushed the striker’s low effort just wide of the post.
In the 36th minute, John McGinn again missed the West Ham target with a kick, and the Hammers also had a pair of half-chances, first with Lucas Paqueta missing an overhead kick and then Vladimir Coufal’s dangerous cross being collected by Martinez.
Early in the second half, Watkins was still causing West Ham difficulties, and Kurt Zouma’s outstanding block stopped him from taking another attempt that was heading for the goal.
After Edson Alvarez fouled Ezri Konsa in the 50th minute of the game, Aston Villa was granted a penalty. Luiz scored the penalty past Areola to double the lead for the home team.
But in the 56th minute, Bowen’s long-range effort gave West Ham a point again as it deflected off Lucas Digne and found the bottom corner of the net.
Goals frequently make or break a game, and in the moments that followed, West Ham’s unexpected pace and movement in the final third created all kinds of issues for Villa Park.
The Hammers were threatening for a second goal at Villa Park when Matty Cash headed a shot from Nayef Aguerd over his own crossbar in the 65th minute, and Bowen headed over immediately after.
In the 71st minute, Aston Villa scored a third goal through Watkins, but Cash was again required to send a low cross from Antonio beyond the post.
The England international faced Zouma after being released by McGinn, created a yard of space, and finished with a powerful smash that put the ball past Areola.
Bailey missed the mark with a shot that went just wide of Areola’s post in the 87th minute, but two minutes later, the attacker’s goal put Emery’s team on the scoreboard.
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