Scores twice on his debut for happy Hammers

Benrahma and rifling the ball home from a tricky angle. Moyes had said before the game that Villa star Jack Grealish was probably the best player in the Premier League right now.

Big praise indeed, but Soucek is not far behind him.

They almost had a third – Michael Antonio looping a ball towards the net only to see

Tyrone Mings go sliding in with a spectacular goal-line clearance. That took on extra significance when Villa pulled one back in the 80th minute – Grealish splitting the defence for Watkins to slide the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.

But Lingard struck again in the 83rd minute, ramming the ball home from an angle after Antonio had set him up. Lingard was busy from the off and sparked panic in the Villa back line with a 20-yard drive which forced Emi Martinez to go full stretch. Benrahma kept the heat turned up with another fierce shot. Within a minute Aaron Cresswell’s full-blooded volley might well have gone in if it hadn’t hit Antonio.

Villa broke to the other end and when Matty Cash slung the ball over, Watkins met it with a header that was just over.

Midway through the first half the Hammers so nearly paid the price for some loose play when Craig Dawson mis-controlled and punted the ball into Grealish’s path.

Grealish slipped his pass through to Watkins who took aim and curled his shot goalwards only to see it strike the outside of the post.

ASTON VILLA v WEST HAM

POSSESSION % SHOTS ON TARGET SHOTS OFF TARGET BLOCKED SHOTS CORNERS FOULS YELLOW CARDS RED CARDS

Martinez 7; Cash 7, Konsa 7, Mings 7, Targett 7; Luiz 7 (Sanson 80), McGinn 7, Barkley 6 (Trezeguet 70, 6); Grealish 7, El Ghazi 6 (Traore 46, 6), Watkins 7. Watkins 80.

Fabianski 7; Coufal 8, Dawson 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Soucek 8, Rice 7; Fredericks 7, Benrahma 8 (Johnson 88), Lingard 8 (Bowen 90); Antonio 8. Soucek 51, Lingard 56, 83.