(Premier League 2024/2025): Highlights West Ham - Aston Villa

More ways than one. A new season brings new faces. The new man at the helm brings new hope that fresh ideas will bring fresh impetus. Villa just want the same old, same old on the back of their best season in a generation. A carbon copy would be hugely creditable. Corner to Tielemans, takes! Oh, what a corner! And what a start for Aston Villa. Welcome to the club. A debut to remember already for Amadou Anana. Brilliant. Beautifully flighted delivery from Yuri Tielemans. He's a giant of a man, Amadou Anana. And he arrives right on cue. I mean, I'll tell you, I think it's really close to where the goalkeeper is. There's a lot of traffic around the goalie. Maybe they're pinning him, he can't come and get it. But when Anana puts that in, the goalkeeper hasn't moved a muscle. I think with that sort of delivery, look, he's got room now to come and get it. And he stands and he waits and he deliberates. And I'm afraid he gets punished. It's a simple tap in that. And space for Morgan Rodgers here. He's got the wrong side of Rodriguez and still he goes! Rodgers could have been two. Powerful surge from Morgan Rodgers. Everyone backing off, backing off. Eventually, someone's got to come to him. That's with the ball over the top. Oh, Bailey has got that. He's got round the goalkeeper. Oh! Well, he had support arriving in Watkins. He went alone and hits the post. Oh, what a first touch. Watch this. It's a brilliant ball up the line. Watch his first touch. That is absolute perfection to take him beyond the goalie. And just from there, I think he could have danced inside Kilman. I think he could have left him on the floor in the end and had a tap in. Right now, look, as Kilman's throwing himself, he's in midair almost as Leon Bailey takes that strike. So close to being number two. Faced up immediately by Konset. And Villa got back into a defensive shape very quickly. West Ham might have to do exactly the same here as Morgan Rodgers drives forward. Bailey to his right. Watkins made an early darting run, but McGinn comes forward now. Might get there on the edge of the area. Second bar to the cherry. Curves it so narrowly wide. And Villa could well be two up. Great run again from Morgan Rodgers traveling across the ground. So, so easy on the eye. That ball there, it does get to John McGinn, but it's on his right foot. The second shot is a poor one, I think. Put your foot. He tries to place this one almost in the far corner on your weaker side. I think, put your foot through it. Really hits it. Head down. Instead of that, he tries to guide it and there's not really enough pace on it. Hakata hoisting it forward. Might get dropped. Sochek's way. He's gone down and gets a pass. Looks like he took it on his chest initially. Just there. Yeah. Let's have a look at this again. Cash just loses him and he lunges a leg out, but did Sochek put a leg in there as well? It's a very difficult one to see. Let's have another look from this angle. Cash at this point there, look, he lunges and doesn't get, but Sochek has placed his leg right there. That's a real tough one to call that. Is he going to go again towards the near post as we look at it to get West Ham back on level terms? Pretty coolly done. And on an afternoon of Aston Villa dominance, West Ham have parity. First goal of Julen Lopetegui's reign. A fortuitous element to it on a day when West Ham have created very little. But Pakata obliges from the spot. Killman. Emerson for Pakata. Much more of an influence now. Emerson. The left back at inside right as he fired one in on goal. He needed saving. And West Ham, buoyed by the goal, have a corner. Safar sending it in. Bailey can instigate another counter-attack. All of a sudden, it's pretty much two against two with the pace that he's brought it forward. Watkins makes the run. Rodgers is there in support. Pakata's come back with him. He's gone for goal himself, but it's gone some way. Why? Martinez waiting as long as possible for Pakata to arrive. Philip unable to play through the press, inviting problems on themselves. Three against three on the Villa counter-attack here. Rodgers for Bailey. Back for Morgan Rodgers again for Tielemans. And Rodgers and West Ham somehow smuggle it away. Wow. There was a VAR check on a possible collision in the box right at the other end on Thomas Socek there. Having been significantly behind them in the first period. Just about level now over the whole piece between the two. But Ramsey turning it forward. And then you're always happy to make that run. Now, Duran! Side netting only. Well, if he squares it, Ramsey's got to tap in. Because they've both beaten the offside trap there. It's a great ball. That West Ham back line, they're all running out. And you can see bottom of the screen, Emerson is playing Duran on. He just squares that. Jacob Ramsey just rolls it into a completely unguarded net. Madsen coming forward. That's a great touch. Duran! 2-1 Villa. All starts here. Pau Torres. You can see Duran's in an offside position. That doesn't matter at that moment. That little ball was wonderful. But Jacob Ramsey kind of cushioned into his path. This one from Madsen. Then a cutback and a sweeping finish through the legs. Through the legs of the goalkeeper. Great goal. Some lovely one-touch play there from Villa down that left side. West Ham switching to three at the back now. Thadebo playing as the most central of the three centre-halves. I mentioned earlier, Jim, a lot of tired players out there. So it's precious when you can keep the ball. Somerville. Ham are searching their second equaliser. Chance to yet salvage this. Ball in! That was the chance. Little deflection on the cross. And Fulcrooks hardly been involved since coming on. Very nearly got it past Martinez. Just a little deflection on that cross from Somerville, wasn't there? He's got this languid style, Somerville, but just gets it onto his right foot. Somerville. Send in very high. Kudas able to pick it up. Three to try and pick out. Glusochek coming in, getting around the back. Turning it towards goal. And somehow it ended up going over. You can't believe he hasn't scored. Really good work here from Kudas. And the first header he can't get on target, but that one he just mishits. He just doesn't get it. There's a challenge coming in on him that's pretty heavy as well. That header there, he's climbing all over. Nodelkovic, and then there when it drops for him, he just doesn't make the right contact. He scuffs it and sent it up in the air when he just had to keep it down. Far from perfect baptism to West Ham's new era. Different ingredients, but not the right recipe yet. John Duran's winner, getting Villa's season off to a winning start. It was a game in which they led early, were pegged back, missed a stack of chances, but Duran came off the bench and made a major impression. And in the game between the two managers from northern Spain, it's Unai Emery who...