West Ham United scored four goals against Aston Villa despite being reduced to ten men
Declan Rice scored a spectacular long-range goal for West Ham United in their 4-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday, piling pressure on home boss Dean Smith.
West Ham’s win was their third in a row in the league, while Villa’s loss was their fourth in a row, putting them just three points above the relegation zone.
Ben Johnson went through from the right and struck a superb left-footed shot into the far corner to put West Ham ahead in the seventh minute.
Jarrod Bowen almost increased the advantage minutes later on a quick counter-attack, but Villa leveled in the 34th minute through Ollie Watkins, who finished expertly after a reverse ball from Matty Cash.
West Ham, on the other hand, maintained their pressure and were rewarded when Rice restored their advantage just before the break.
“In the first 15 minutes, we lacked focus. We could have doubled up on Johnson when he cut inside… the response was good afterward, and the crowd might have gotten back into the game “Smith stated.
The home side’s chances of a comeback were dashed almost immediately after the restart when Ezri Konsa was sent off for obstructing Bowen, who was clear on goal.
“It wasn’t a red card. The referee saw a still and in full time and thought the ball was going towards the goal. It amazes me, it wasn’t going towards the goal. And Ashley Young was covering,” added Smith.
Villa fought back courageously and produced a slew of chances, but they were caught on the break twice, with Pablo Fornals and Bowen each scoring off exquisite counter-attacking movements to put the game out of reach.
With the score at 2-1, West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski made a fantastic stop to keep away a Watkins header.
“Getting four goals, the resilience we showed at different times of the game, and the save Lukasz made at 2-1. It’s a good sign we can come here and be a bit disappointed with the way we played and get a result,” said West Ham manager David Moyes.
“It’s been a great week. But you know what happens in football. It can turn around and bite you… I don’t want West Ham to become that flaky inconsistent team a lot of people remember them as.”
Rice praised Moyes and stated that this was a unique group of players. “It’s a unique atmosphere. We look forward to training every day when we wake up. We’ve been in every game till the very end. It’s a unique place to have fun. We’re ecstatic, to say the least, “England’s midfielder stated.
After ten games, West Ham is fourth in the table with 20 points, one point behind champions Manchester City on goal difference. In 15th place, Villa are 10 points behind the Hammers.