There were things to cheer about in West Ham’s match against Aston Villa but they need to hit the back of the net if they want to avoid relegation, says Mickey Ambrose

Since West Ham’s 3-2 home win against Burnley, performances have been much improved, up until the crushing defeat against Manchester City.

With draws away to Bournemouth, Manchester United and Brighton Hammers came into the game against top four Aston Villa facing a
stern test. They didn’t disappoint and were out of the blocks straight away after an incredible 29 seconds, with Mateus Fernandes scoring the fastest goal in the Premier League this season.

But Aston Villa came to the Olympic Stadium with a plan quite simply a ‘Do or Die’ attitude. Even when they are not at their best, their hunger knows no bounds at the moment. They were stretched by West Ham, who led twice before squandering a vital win in their relegation struggle.

Unai Emery’s indefatigable side dug deep for a response and emerged victorious for the 15th time in 17 games thanks to a virtuoso display from Morgan Rogers who inspired a second-half turnaround. What a performance. This was Villa in fighting mode. They trailed
2-1 at half-time and were second best for long spells, but they refused to roll over. West Ham, still stuck in the bottom three despite producing one of their best performances under Nuno Espírito Santo, just could not put them away but the good news is that they are
creating chances.

They were pegged back by Rogers early in the second half and then, just when it seemed that West Ham were gearing up for a late push, the England international made Nuno’s side pay for granting him extra specs, and he made it 3-2 with a goal that owed everything to wondrous technique and appetite for risk. It was a rocket from Rogers, off his gifted right foot and flying into Alphonse Areola’s top-right corner.

West Ham have not kept a clean sheet since 31 August. Nuno has not fixed their defensive ills since replacing Graham Potter and he bemoaned his side’s failure to hold on to a winning position for the second consecutive week. “This is something we are not able to do – control and manage the game when we are in front,” West Ham’s manager said. Why is it happening? “I wish I could give you a proper answer with a proper solution,” Nuno replied.

The frustration for West Ham is that they did a lot well, with Soungoutou Magassa, Fernandes and Potts competing in midfield. Yet Nuno despaired when Villa pounced after Paquetá lost possession in the 50th minute. Youri Tielemans was away down the right seconds later and his cross reached Rogers, who controlled before scoring from close range.

But at least West Ham kept going. Even if Bowen had a goal disallowed for the tightest of offsides Nuno Espirito must be very pleased with his team’s performance, but points make prizes and West Ham must start winning games to avoid relegation to the Championship as the New Year begins. Meanwhile, Happy New Year to Newham Voices readers.

Mickey Ambrose is a former Chelsea and Charlton player who lives in Stratford.

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