Aston Villa staged a brilliant comeback to beat West Ham United 2-1 and progress from their FA Cup third-round tie on Friday night, securing their first home victory in the competition in their last seven attempts.
Graham Potter's tenure at West Ham got off to the perfect start as his side rapidly took the lead inside just 10 minutes, when Lucas Paqueta superbly finished a thrilling counter-attacking move, but the mood quickly soured as minutes later Niclas Fullkrug, who played a part in the goal, was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury.
Aston Villa dominated the following hour of football but failed to truly harm the West Ham defence, that was until the 70th minute when Unai Emery's men flew into action, pulling off a stunning quickfire double with goals in the 71st and 76th-minutes from Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers, putting them in control of the tie with the clock ticking towards full time.
The result means Aston Villa advance through the FA Cup third-round for just the third time in the last 10 seasons, while Potter is handed defeat in his first match in charge of West Ham.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Aston Villa can count themselves lucky to have won that game, particularly after they were wrongly awarded a corner that resulted in Onana's equaliser after West Ham had denied many major opportunities in the previous 70 minutes.
The second half was a significantly improved performance in comparison to the first 45 minutes, with Emery's men clearly showing more attacking intent, but it will be a slight worry at how easily the Hammers shutdown Villa's attacks for large parts of the match.
As for West Ham, Potter may have been handed defeat in his first match in charge of the side, but the new boss will be able to take plenty of positives away from their performance.
Despite having just one training session under the new manager, West Ham showed patterns of play in attack, while their defensive shape was a clear improvement compared to Julen Lopetegui's time in charge.
ASTON VILLA VS. WEST HAM HIGHLIGHTS
Lucas Paqueta goal vs. Aston Villa (9th min, Aston Villa 0-1 West Ham)
IT'S THE PERFECT START FOR GRAHAM POTTER! 🪄
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 10, 2025
Lucas Paqueta puts West Ham in front 💥#ITVFootball | #FACup | #WHU | @WestHam pic.twitter.com/uHSI9iEl0c
Paqueta gets West Ham off to a dream start!
A long ball forward is headed down to the feet of Mohammed Kudus by Fullkrug, and Kudus takes a touch before lobbing the ball to Crysencio Summerville, who has space to run into.
The winger races forward and squares up Ian Maatsen inside the box before pulling the ball back to Paqueta, who brilliantly passes into the bottom right corner to give West Ham the lead.
Amadou Onana goal vs. West Ham (71st min, Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham)
HIS NAME IS NOT ANDRE! IT'S AMADOU ONANA FOR VILLA! ⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 10, 2025
West Ham will feel aggrieved that the corner was given but Villa won't care#ITVFootball | #FACup | #AVFC pic.twitter.com/mYwXlsDXLr
Onana equalises for Aston Villa, West Ham are far from happy!
A corner is controversially awarded to Aston Villa despite no touch from a West Ham defender, and their resulting corner is initially flicked on before the ball falls to Maatsen to strike.
Maatsen's shot looks to be easily saved, but Lukas Fabianski spills and Onana is there to bundle the ball into the net and pull Villa level.
Morgan Rogers goal vs. West Ham (76th min, Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham)
TURNAROUND COMPLETE!
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 10, 2025
Morgan Rogers strikes to give Villa the lead! What a comeback! 💥#ITVFootball | #FACup | #AVFC pic.twitter.com/pysbAyij3z
Aston Villa have scored again, Rogers puts them ahead!
The ball is played through the lines to substitute Emiliano Buendia, and the midfielder looks up and quickly plays the ball wide to Ollie Watkins on the left wing.
Watkins skilfully beats his marker and drags his cross back towards the six-yard line, where Rogers is able to poke into the back of the net and score Villa's second in a matter of minutes.
MAN OF THE MATCH - IAN MAATSEN
© Imago
In a game devoid of much quality for large durations, Maatsen was a rare shining light for Aston Villa throughout the entirety of the match, often providing the only attacking outlet for the hosts.
Maatsen made one key pass and created one big chance, while his shot caused Fabianski to fumble the ball and ultimately end up with Onana scoring Aston Villa's equaliser.
The defender also produced a strong defensive performance, winning four duels, making three interceptions and four tackles as he played a major role in the victory for Aston Villa.
ASTON VILLA VS. WEST HAM MATCH STATS
Possession: Aston Villa 59%-41% West Ham
Shots: Aston Villa 16-11 West Ham
Shots on target: Aston Villa 5-2 West Ham
Corners: Aston Villa 9-4 West Ham
Fouls: Aston Villa 14-6 West Ham
BEST STATS
Amadou Onana goals:
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) January 10, 2025
4 — This season
4 — Previous 2 seasons combined pic.twitter.com/SZhn1vcrxz
Ollie Watkins has 15 G/A this season.
— StatMuse FC (@statmusefc) January 10, 2025
8 goals
7 assists pic.twitter.com/O3rlS0gvq7
WHAT NEXT?
Aston Villa's attention will now turn back to their battle to finish in the European places in the Premier League, with Everton awaiting them at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
As for West Ham, Graham Potter will be gearing up for his first Premier League match as manager when the Hammers host Fulham at the London Stadium on Tuesday night.
Ellis Stevens
