West Ham underlined their Premier League top-four credentials with a 4-1 win in opposition to 10-man Aston Villa on Sunday as they prolonged their spectacular run on the highway. Ben Johnson scored early for the guests solely to see Ollie Watkins equalise however the Hammers reclaimed the lead earlier than half-time by Declan Rice. Villa’s activity was made all of the more durable early within the second half when defender Ezri Konsa was dismissed for denying a goalscoring alternative. Late objectives from Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen sealed the three factors for David Moyes’ facet and condemned Villa to a fourth straight Premier League defeat.
The victory lifts West Ham to twenty factors after 10 video games — stage on factors with third-placed Manchester Metropolis.
“It has been an amazing week,” Moyes instructed Sky Sports activities after his workforce’s fifth consecutive away win in all competitions. “However what occurs in soccer. It may flip round and chew you.
“We have now one other recreation on Thursday. I do not need West Ham to turn out to be that flaky inconsistent workforce lots of people keep in mind them as.”
West Ham drew first blood within the seventh minute when Rice sprayed a cross out to the proper flank for Johnson, who minimize inside onto his left foot and curled a low shot into the far nook of the online.
Watkins levelled issues up within the thirty fourth minute, steering dwelling Emiliano Buendia’s low cross from shut vary.
However Villa’s delight was shortlived as Rice restored the guests’ lead with a long-range shot that bobbled its method into the again of the online by way of a spark off the submit simply 4 minutes later.
Crimson card
Villa have been decreased to 10 males within the fiftieth minute when a VAR overview dominated that Konsa had denied Bowen a transparent goalscoring alternative by fouling him on the sting of the penalty space. The defender initially solely acquired a yellow card for the foul.
Regardless of being a person down, the house facet got here agonisingly near an equaliser when Lukasz Fabianski bought his fingertips to a thumping Watkins header to push the ball in opposition to the bar.
West Ham elevated their lead when Fornals completed from a decent angle after goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez may solely push Bowen’s shot into his path and Bowen himself added a fourth.
Earlier, Leeds beat Norwich 2-1 to file simply their second league win of the season and climb out of the relegation zone.
The edges have been locked at 0-0 at Carrow Highway at half-time however the recreation exploded into life in a dramatic four-minute spell after the break.
Leeds ahead Raphinha broke the impasse within the 56th minute just for Andrew Omobamidele to go an equaliser from a nook two minutes later.
Promoted
However dwelling cheers turned to despair within the sixtieth minute when Rodrigo’s low left-footed effort discovered its method beneath goalkeeper Tim Krul.
The win lifted Leeds to seventeenth within the desk, three factors away from the underside three however Norwich stay winless and are eight factors from security.
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