JESSE’S DEBUT DELIGHT
Loan star Lingard scores twice as Hammers put the hurt on Villa
JESSE LINGARD gave David Moyes an instant pay-off for his faith with two goals on his return to the big time.
Lingard finished off Aston Villa, who had the wind taken out of their sails when West Ham struck twice in five minutes early in the second half.
Hammers boss Moyes has brought Lingard in from the cold at Manchester United.
And the former England international showed his gratitude with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate watching on.
How sweet this must have felt – he has not pulled on a Three Lions shirt for the best part of two years.
This was his first Premier League appearance of the season but you would never have known it as he extended the visitors’ lead with a superb low drive in the 56th minute, then grabbed another six minutes from time.
Just five minutes earlier Tomas Soucek had given West Ham the lead with his eighth goal of the season, seizing on a great pass from Said 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 (above) is looking an absolute snip at £13million and is not far behind him.
The Hammers almost had a third – Michail Antonio’s looping effort being blocked with a spectacular sliding goal-line clearance Tyrone Mings.
That took on extra significance when Villa pulled one back in the 80th minute – Grealish splitting the defence for Ollie Watkins to slide the ball home from the edge of the six-yard box.
But Lingard struck again in the 84th 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 to beat it away.
Benrahma kept the heat turned up with another fiercely struck shot which forced the Villa keeper to intervene again.
Within a minute Aaron Cresswell’s full blooded volley might well have gone in had it not thudded straight into Antonio.
Villa broke to the other end and when Matty Cash slung the ball over, Watkins rose to meet it with a header that was only just over.
Midway through the first half, the Hammers so nearly paid the price for some loose play when Craig Dawson miscontrolled 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 a post.