Neither Aston Villa nor West Ham United were able to find the net during the opening 45 minutes at Villa Park this afternoon.

The best chance of the half arrived at the feet of Andreas Weimann with just over one minute on the clock.

West Ham goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen could only parry Christian Benteke's shot from distance, but when the ball dropped to Weimann, he only succeeded in curling the ball wide from six yards out.

© PA Photos

At the other end, West Ham's first real attempt with eight minutes gone saw Andy Carroll's effort loop up into the air before it landed on the roof of Brad Guzan's net.

Goalscoring opportunities are few and far between thereafter, with one clear-cut opening falling to Villa captain Ron Vlaar, who sent his near post half-volley just over the bar in the 39th minute.

A victory for Villa would see them move out of the Premier League's relegation zone.