Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham
Fabianski:4 Nothing to do until he caught a ball after 30 mins. Made his first save in the 68th min. Fumbled a scrappy shot from a corner which never should have been awarded as West Ham tired after 70 mins. Poor goalkeeping and officiating made it 1-1.
Wan Bissaka:7 Seemed to be playing on the right side of a back three but still managed to venture forward. Adjusted well to the positional change once Summerville departed.
Mavropanos:5 Commanding in the air. Did well against Watkins but was bamboozled as Villa went 2-1 ahead on 74 mins. Very silly error shorty afterwards as recent thrashings started to play on the defenders minds.
Kilman:6 Untroubled in the first half, one drilled long range pass to Scarles was particularly impressive. Excellent block from Baily. Will be disappointed will Villa’s second. Bailed out his defensive partners as Mavropanos went from faultless to accident waiting to happen in the space of ten minutes.
Scarles:8 Linked well with Paqueta and performed well considering how tricky Leon Baily is. One excellent passage of play saw him cut out a pass expertly then make a defensive header to the acclaim of the loud West Ham away support. Excellent delivery from a corner.
Alvarez:7 Controlled tenacity from a player who clearly knew his role better. Unfortunately his technique let him down on a few occasions but his tackling was great. He must have covered some distance.
Soucek:7 Played his part as the Hammers stopped Villa from having a shot in the first half. Noticeably tried to move the ball more quickly.
Paqueta:6 Shot on goal after 50 seconds went very close. Paqueta didn’t have to wait much longer for his goal as he converted from Summerville’s neat pass after 8 mins. Played very well to begin with but the play-acting resurfaced at precisely the point where Graham Potter’s team began to get fatigued.
Kudus:6 Started the game in a central role. Lovely lofted pass set Summerville free. Had to scrap for everything but far too selfish at times.
Summerville:8 Everyone would have been surprised to see him start on the right hand side and it worked as he set up the Hammers opener. Caused mayhem from his hybrid wing back role. Impressive defending with a tackle on Maatsen. Made a telling clearance from a cross at the end of the first half.
Fulkrug:6 Played his part in the opening goal with a deft flick-on. Had to feel sorry for him as he broke down trying to sprint after 13 mins.
Fullkrug was substituted early
Substitutes
Ings:5 Unexpectedly called upon following what looked like a bad hamstring injury to Fullkrug. Worked his arse off but not really able to impact the game. His moment came in injury time but missed the ball.
Coufal:6 Half time replacement for the excellent Summerville who presumably had an injury. Drew fouls and made a nuisance of himself.
Cresswell: Replaced Scarles after 76 mins once West Ham went 2-1 down.
Soler: On for Mavropanos in 84th min. Crazy attempt late on.
Guilherme: On for Alvarez in a double switch
