Aston Villa ease past West Ham to strengthen top-four push

Ollie Watkins ended a six-match goal drought as Aston Villa boosted their chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a comfortable win over relegation-threatened West Ham.

The forward was left out of Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad earlier this week but appeared keen to impress and was rewarded for his efforts in the 68th minute, doubling his side’s lead when he prodded in the rebound after Mats Hermansen saved from Morgan Rogers.

Unai Emery’s side had earned just nine points from their previous 10 Premier League matches and their chances of a top-five finish were at risk of slipping away after three Premier League defeats.

But, buoyed by reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League in midweek, Villa were a constant threat in a marked improvement from their recent league form.

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Captain John McGinn opened the scoring with a sweet left-footed strike from the edge of the area, teed up by Jadon Sancho in a set-piece routine straight off the training ground.

That was just one of many Villa chances in the first half, with Watkins also twice going close and Lucas Digne firing wide.

The hosts also had a penalty decision overturned when Konstantinos Mavropanos clipped Watkins in the area – referee Paul Tierney was sent to the monitor by the video assistant referee (VAR) and quickly changed his decision.

It was a deserved victory for a side hunting a fourth successive season of European football, with the Premier League’s top five all but guaranteed a Champions League place.

Villa will enter the international break fourth in the top flight, five points clear of Liverpool in fifth, while West Ham remain 18th, one point from safety.