London [UK], December 15 (ANI): Morgan Rogers struck twice in the second half as in-form Aston Villa fought back to secure a 3-2 victory over struggling West Ham. The win extends Aston Villa’s impressive run to six consecutive Premier League victories, keeping their title challenge firmly on track, as per Sky Sports.
Unai Emery’s side remain three points behind the Premier League points table leaders Arsenal and have now won 10 of their last 11 league games, collecting more points than any other team since September 28, according to Sky Sports.
Aston Villa faced a difficult start in London as just 29 seconds into the match, the hosts took the lead with the fastest Premier League goal of the season, surpassing Hugo Ekitike’s 46-second strike for Liverpool against Brighton at Anfield on Saturday.
West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes pounced on the ball as Ezri Konsa hesitated on the byline, with the Portuguese midfielder firing in from a narrow angle to ignite the stadium, if only for a few moments.
Nine minutes later, Villa’s equaliser came when Konstantinos Mavropanos, under intense pressure from Ollie Watkins, accidentally headed the ball past Alphonse Areola.
Another defensive lapse from Konsa, who was sluggish to close down, allowed Jarrod Bowen to stay onside and expertly convert Freddie Potts’ shot from the edge of the area, giving the hosts a well-deserved lead heading into halftime.
Although starting the game in the bottom three and up against the Premier League’s most in-form team since late September, West Ham kept Villa’s first-half expected goals at zero. However, it took just five minutes into the second half for Villa to level the score.
Youri Tielemans initiated the move with a lung-busting run down the right, delivering a cross for Rogers, who controlled the ball and turned sharply in the box before finishing in one fluid motion.
In a thrilling contest, Bowen appeared to have restored West Ham’s lead, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside. In the end, it was Rogers who stole the spotlight, scoring a brilliant winner 11 minutes from time.
West Ham will rue giving Rogers so much space, allowing him to unleash a brilliant 25-yard strike that sailed over Areola and put Villa in close pursuit of Arsenal.
With the defeat, West Ham remain in the bottom three, having suffered only their second loss in seven league matches. (ANI)
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