Morgan Rogers grabs the limelight after scoring his second goal and Aston Villa’s third at West Ham. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
When can Aston Villa dare to dream? Their standards dropped and their legs looked heavy but their hunger knows no bounds at the moment. They were pushed to the limit by a determined West Ham, who led twice and will feel they did enough to claim a vital win in their battle against relegation, and still Unai Emery’s side managed to strain for a response before emerging victorious for the 15th time in 17 games thanks to Morgan Rogers leading a stunning second-half turnaround.
This was not quite as dramatic as last week’s last-gasp victory over Arsenal. This time the decisive goal arrived with 11 minutes left, although its impact felt just as big when Rogers followed an equaliser early in the second half by displaying wonderful technique to put Villa 3-2 up with a moment of individual brilliance. The celebrations spoke volumes. There were long stretches when Villa did not look like title contenders but when it was over they were three points off Arsenal at the top and West Ham were still in the bottom three after tasting defeat for only the second time since October.
Hands up if you had Villa sitting in third place as Christmas approached when they went six games without winning at the start of the season? It has been a remarkable turnaround, although Emery has tried to keep expectations realistic. This was another test of his team’s staying power. Emery made six changes after his side’s victory over FC Basel last Thursday but he had problems at the back. Marco Bizot continued in place of Emi Martínez in goal and West Ham, with Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville threats on the flanks, saw a chance to exploit a lack of place with Victor Lindelöf deputising for Pau Torres in central defence.
There was a fine atmosphere at kick-off. The London Stadium, not always the most unified of places, had risen to pay tribute to the late Billy Bonds and the positivity grew when a sleepy start from Villa culminated in Ezri Konsa presenting Mateus Fernandes with the opportunity to score the quickest goal of the season.
Only 30 seconds had passed when Villa played themselves into trouble deep on the right. West Ham pressed, Konsa dithered and the defender was punished by Fernandes, who won the ball cleanly before whipping a shot over Bizot from a tight angle.
Both defences looked uncertain during a breezy first half. Villa quickly levelled when Ollie Watkins put pressure one Konstantinos Mavropanos into heading John McGinn’s cross into his own net but they were indecisive when they fell behind for a second time. El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross from a lovely Lucas Paquetá pass was only half cleared, Freddie Potts replied with a hopeful shot and nobody was alert as Bowen, who was unmarked, diverted the loose ball past Bizot.
The goal was a reminder not just of Bowen’s importance to West Ham but also how they have become more adept at responding to setbacks since replacing Graham Potter with Nuno Espírito Santo in September. They did not look like a team at risk of relegation. Paquetá, the recipient of a bizarre red card in West Ham’s previous home game, was in the mood in a free role. Nuno’s setup clicked. There was a nice chemistry between Potts, Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa in midfield.
Emery presumably had a few choices for his players during half-time. Did he remind them that West Ham, who have not kept a clean sheet since 31 August, have not fixed their defensive ills? The leakiness remains a problem for Nuno. He must have 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, turned and drilled past Alphonse Areola.
The outcome was hard to predict. West Ham still believed and lifted the intensity. Yet Villa responded. Donyell Malen came on and almost made a swift impact, stinging Areola’s palms with an effort from 20 yards. Bowen was then inches away at the other end, the flag raised for the tightest of offsides when the West Ham captain received a pass from Paquetá and found the far corner with a brilliant shot.
Villa seemed to be tiring. Summerville threatened for West Ham, shooting wide. Villa, though, found the edge. Lindelöf threaded a pass to Rogers in space and the midfielder took advantage of a lack of pressure by striking through the ball with his laces, giving it the dip and swerve to wobble through the air and stun Areola.
