Premier LeagueWest Ham United 1-1 Aston Villa
Saturday, 16th March 2024
by Chris Wilkerson | Forum match thread
Two tired sides battled it out on a Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium, but neither West Ham nor Aston Villa could find the quality to win the game and settled for a very fair draw, 1-1 a fair reflection on how the two teams played.
With large parts of the first half favouring West Ham, the visitors were the better in the second, and even though David Moyes saw his side denied two goals by VAR, he will settle for a point against Champions League-chasing Villa.Both teams came off triumphant victories in Europe on Thursday night, blowing their opponents away to push themselves into the business end of European competition, and both teams looked like they'd spent most of their energy to do it.
The Villans were slow and sluggish until a raft of second half substitutions, whilst The Hammers faded after the break and couldn't hold on to their first half lead.
Moyes was able to bring Emerson back in to start, whilst Areola returned in goal for a team that was otherwise unchanged from the 5-0 drubbing of Freiburg. Villa were without the suspended McGinn, but were buoyed to see Watkins able to start after coming off in the midweek win over Ajax.
The game started very slowly, a feeling out period as the away side took control of the ball, but only to play with in front of West Ham. There was no thrust forward for either team, nothing that broke through the lines of defence, and no shot on goal for the first 10 minutes. A Paqueta header 30 seconds after that opening period flew over and was the first time the goal was close to threatened. A minute later, Watkins tested Areola at his near post with a low shot, but the Frenchman was down quickly to deflect it wide.
It took about 20 minutes for West Ham to realise that the Villa that had blown them away at Villa Park earlier in the season was not there today, and The Hammers started to press with a bit more intensity higher up the pitch.
The cracks started to show, and whilst chances didn't flow, it was the home side now that looked the more confident and threatening. With a bit of luck, they could have led after a Paqueta effort.
Coufal, whose first half was excellent, was found high and wide on the right, and he drove a cross in to Bowen's feet. The winger quickly laid off to Paqueta just inside the box. The Brazilian tried to place a low effort into the corner, but could only hit Soucek around the six-yard box, and it deflected off the legs of the Czech midfielder. It could have gone anywhere, but bobbled away to safety.
The stats told a story of Villa controlling the ball, but as they faltered with it time and time again, it started to look as if it was West Ham controlling the ball by allowing their visitors to have it. They couldn't play through Moyes's team, with mistakes totting up as they looked to force the issue.
But it was West Ham making the chances. Coufal had two in quick succession, and had he gambled earlier, may have had an easy one.
After Paqueta chopped a ball through but a little wide, Bowen smartly retrieved and turned it into the box. It rolled to the far side, where Coufal had suddenly driven into the area and was there to hit, but Martinez saved well to his left. The rebound fell back to the right back, but his second effort went soaring wide. The wait for a first Coufal goal continues.
Whilst he can't finish, he can provide, and the rampaging full back delivered a beautiful ball that led to the breakthrough a minute before half-hour had been played.
It came from great work by Antonio, pressing high against Konsa at right back and stealing the ball. It was cleared away from him for a West Ham throw, and the Hammers moved quickly. It was fired over to Coufal, free once more down the right wing, and the right back took a touch before curling a beautiful cross in the space behind the defence and ahead of the goalkeeper.
At the back post gambling was Antonio, who threw himself at the ball for the diving header and met it perfectly, nodding down into the bottom corner and leaving Martinez with no chance as the striker scored his first Premier League goal since August.
The opening 30 minutes showed classic Moyes, the away side with 66% possession but only three shots, compared to West Ham's eight. It's what you do with it.
Not that West Ham were at their best, but they were definitely the better side in the first half. Villa looked out of ideas and out of energy, which is no surprise as they undertake a first European campaign for many years, the Thursday-Sunday grind a challenge for players new to adventures on the continent.
Kudus hit one wide after Antonio again won possession off the Villa defence, and it's two games in a row now where the work of Antonio defending high up the pitch has made this side a far better watch, and far bigger threats. Whilst Bowen has proven a handy weapon up front, these last two games have shown what the side miss without a hardworking and physically imposing striker.
What Villa did have was a penalty shout, and one that West Ham could have been punished for. Bailey had possession in the box, and smartly chipped the ball forward as he saw Emerson point to a man making an overlapping run. It hit the outstretched arm, but the referee waved it away. Replays confirmed it struck the arm, but it was not fully out from his body, whilst it is hard to argue that pointing to a player is not a natural movement of the arm, especially considering the ball came from a couple steps away from him.
It could have been given, but the right decision was made. That little bit of luck was worth remembering, as the second half provided little.
Emery made two changes in the break, and two that were easy to understand as Matty Cash was brought on at right back and Konsa moved into the middle of the defence, where he has proven before he can deal with Antonio. Diaby replaced the ineffective Duran up top, maybe in as much of an effort to spark some life into a quiet Watkins as much as anything else.
The Hammers thought they had given themselves a two-goal cushion short of five minutes into the second half, only for the referee and VAR to deny them.
Another Bowen corner was whipped in at the goalkeeper, and this time it went all the way through and into the back of the net.
Replays showed it missing everyone except brushing against Antonio right in front of the goalkeeper, but those replays damned the striker, showing the ball to have taken a slight deflection off his arm and into the back of the net. It was pressed tight to his side, but the laws dictate any involvement of hand or arm directly before a goal rules it out. Harsh, but at least easy to understand.
It was a dramatic start to a half that otherwise took its time to heat up. West Ham retreated into their shape and started to lack the energy to break out or pin Villa in with the press. The away side were still missing a spark, maybe struggling without the energy of McGinn alongside their Thursday night heroics taking a toll. Watkins was as quiet as he's been all season, a positive sign that a partnership between Mavropanos and Zouma is growing stronger.
With Villa floundering, Emery went to his bench once more as the clock ticked past the hour mark. Moreno and Rogers were replaced by Digne and Zaniolo.
That sparked Moyes into action, replacing the tired Antonio three minutes after Villa's change and putting Ben Johnson on at left wing. It moved Bowen up front, and appeared to be as much about the full back doing a job on Digne as it was about getting fresh legs into West Ham's midfield.
It neither helped the defence find more security, nor added any verve or drive to West Ham's play. What Ben Johnson has to offer in attributes has got to be assessed by the reality of what he shows. And here, like most games, he showed an inability to compose himself on the ball and make good choices to move forward.
The pressure grew and grew, and it looked a case of when, rather than if Villa would equalise. The ball wouldn't stick for West Ham, and those star players that drag West Ham out of many difficult situations were flat on their feet. Paqueta was beaten, Bowen quiet and dse?EUR,?EUR,?EUR,?EUR,wq?EUR,?EUR,?EUR,?EUR,Kudus only with the energy to go in bursts.
They should have levelled the scores with 15-minutes to go. A sharp cross from the right between defence and Areola saw the goalkeeper dive out and parry away, but it felt 10 yards out to Konsa. The defender took it down well, but could only strike right at Areola as the Frenchman recovered to the middle of his goal.
It was a warning sign not heeded.
A burst forward from Emerson got West Ham on the attack, leaving Paqueta behind to cover. But the ball was easily cleared, and Villa broke through the middle with pace. Kudus could only jog behind Tielemans pushing forward, a sign of that fatigue hurting West Ham. Fresher legs would have sprinted back in to cover, but the Ghanaian couldn't.
Tielemans passed down the Villa right to Diaby, the pass beating a desperate lunging interception attempt by Paqueta to reach him. The pacey forward burst to the byline, cut the ball back and saw Zaniolo arriving around the penalty spot to poke the ball at goal and beat Areola to bring his side level with a touch over 10 minutes.
As it often does in these kind of games, rather than firing Villa up to go on and dominate as they chased a winner, it seemed to settle the game back to a more even footing. The away side retreated a little, the home side now less desperate to protect what they had.
Soon, the referee frustrated for his lazy officiating. After a dinked ball in the box was competed for by Alvarez and Zaniolo, the Italian was floored. He threw the Mexican down in anger, and the shoving started between other players. The result? You've seen it before, the lazy double-booking, punished both equally for daring to be involved in the situation, when Zaniolo was the clear aggressor and Alvarez fairly innocent. The West Ham midfielder will now miss games against Tottenham and Newcastle after receiving his 10th caution of the season.
Moyes made changes with five to play, Ward-Prowse and Cresswell replacing Paqueta and Emerson.
As Villa retreated, West Ham were roared on by the home crowd, and they could have snatched it late on.
Right at the start of stoppage time, a great chance fell to Ward-Prowse. Bowen broke with the ball and slid it down the right to Kudus. He pushed on, twisting and turning to beat his man to the byline, and then pulled it back into the middle, where there was space in the box.
Ward-Prowse arrived, but he could only hit the diving figure of a defender as he shot from the penalty spot. It was a tough chance to take, but a better finisher may have curled around the man.
It looked like being the last chance, but a late foul on Kudus on the right wing gave Ward-Prowse the opportunity to deliver one more cross, one last dangerous ball into the box.
The midfielder didn't disappoint, whipping a curling ball perfectly behind the defence line and towards the six-yard box.
Bodies flew in, and Mavropanos got something to it to force the ball at goal. It couldn't take it all the way, and now players for both teams were on the floor and doing anything to get to it, and the ball was suddenly over the line.
West Ham celebrated, but the referee put a finger to his ear. Some five minutes later, and having gone to the screen to check the incident himself, the referee ruled the goal out.
What had happened? After Mavropanos's touch, Soucek and Bowen bundled in. Bowen went down, and it looked like it had hit his arm and gone in, but a late angle showed a Villa player bundling into Soucek's back, Soucek's arm being thrown forward and knocking the ball at goal.
From here, some feel it touched Bowen and went in. Others think it was right off the arm of Soucek. Frankly, the replays were inconclusive, but the touch on Soucek's arm was impossible to deny.
The referee seemed to be checking the screen to see if Soucek was forced into that action, but that was also a nearly impossible call to make. In the end, it felt right, even if some will argue that touching Bowen meant to arm of Soucek was not the direct cause of the goal, so it could have been allowed. That feels like grasping at straws.
Instead, it ended 1-1, a fair result and one both teams probably would have taken at the start of play. Now comes two weeks off from club football as internationals return. Many will get a good rest, others will play most of one game, others maybe two. Afterwards, the final stretch begins, and West Ham remain in 7th, albeit it very precariously.
Manager's Rating
David Moyes 6/10: First half good, second half not. Truly, that's the simplest summation. Some will argue that, thinking his first half was good enough to push this higher. And some will say his second half wasn't bad, they may back the use of Johnson. It felt like a very reactive move, and it was with some jealousy not just to see Emery's options on the bench, but just to see some changes. West Ham's bench isn't great, but it had Aguerd, Ings, Ward-Prowse and Phillips on it, with Ward-Prowse the only one of those who made it on, and that was 84 minutes in. Fresh legs for a tired team can make a difference, just ask Zaniolo.
* Want to submit your match reports to KUMB.com? More details here ...
Click to view all West Ham United vs Aston Villa match reports Click to view all match reports by Chris Wilkerson Like to share your thoughts on this article? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.Player Ratings
Click on any player's name to view their full KUMB bio, including all historical match notes and ratings/10.Alphonse Areola
Wasn't threatened much, did mostly good with what he had, although possibly question him parrying the ball central to Konsa for his chance.
Vladimir Coufal
Just seems to play better with Bowen in front of him. Gives him the freedom of the whole right channel, and he made use of it. Great cross, unlucky not to score, and rampaged all day.
Emerson Palmieri
Not quite as energetic and attacking today. Looked like he was just getting back into the swing of things after his injury lay off.
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Watkins felt like a worrying test for the Greek defender, with his physicality enough to handle Dinos, and the pace and workrate to scare him. But the striker was subdued, and the defender will get credit.
Kurt Zouma
Could be hyper-critical and question how Diaby got the space and was allowed to burst down Zouma's side of the box, but the strikers were mostly quiet and Zouma looked better than his last month has shown him to be.
Edson Alvarez
Busy, disciplined and, this time, really unfortunate with the card. He is going to be a massive loss, especially as Phillips has yet to show he can play the role here, and Ward-Prowse and Soucek never look right together. Very safe on the ball.
Tomas Soucek
Continued his strong showings and run of form. Busy defensively, unlucky not to be part of a winner. His passing has improved recently.
Lucas Paqueta
The most dangerous passer in the team by a long stretch. Didn't take over or dominate, but played well and is showing that those who thought him too ill-disciplined on the ball in the centre are not quite right.
Mohammed Kudus
In moments and bursts, he was brilliant. Not consistently, but he always makes things happen and provides a chance or two every game.
Jarrod Bowen
His corners were probably a bigger threat than his work in open play, but still managed to threaten on the run and make things happen.
Michail Antonio
Faded again as fitness caught up with him, but another fine performance of hard work and adding a different threat. His last few appearances have reminded everyone why a striker is needed in summer.
Substitutes
Ben Johnson(Replaced Antonio, 66) It's a little unfair to judge him so harshly, especially as he worked hard and tried to do the job, but he just lacks confidence and/or quality on the ball.
James Ward-Prowse
(Replaced Paqueta, 84) Maybe he should have scored, but the block was probably too good to judge the strike. And it was great work to get there. The late freekick was brilliant, and why you bring a player like that on.
Aaron Cresswell
(Replaced Emerson, 84) He certainly was subbed on, and just didn't do anything awful.
Did not play.
Did not play.
Match Facts
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola, Vladimir Coufal, Emerson Palmieri, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Kurt Zouma, Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio.Goals: None.
Booked: None.
Sent off: None.
Aston Villa: .
Subs not used: .
Goals: .
Booked: .
Sent off: None.
Referee: .
Attendance: 0.
Man of the Match: .