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August 14, 2010 3:00 PM BST
August 14, 2010 3:00 PM BST
Aston Villa 3-0 West Ham United: Fans cheer James Milner who caps post-Martin O'Neill Hammers rout
Goals from Downing, Petrov and Milner enough to seal the win...
By Chris Davie
For a club with evident unrest behind the scenes, Aston Villa show no signs of disharmony on the pitch.
Following Martin O’Neill’s shock departure on Monday, a club who have secured European qualification three seasons running were bracing for a sharp downturn. On the basis of their dominance against West Ham, their fortunes may hold out for a while longer.
The Hammers and new manager Avram Grant will need to travel better this term if they wish to evade the constant fear of relegation the club experienced last season. Their midfield, including the influential Scott Parker, were anonymous in the opening 45 minutes. And the second half showed little improvement.
Villa displayed no signs of stage fright as they piled on the pressure in the opening exchanges. James Tomkins almost gifted the hosts an early goal following a woefully-short back-pass, which John Carew intercepted but hit the post once he rounded Robert Green.
All eyes were on the West Ham goalkeeper following his error in England’s World Cup game against USA, and the 30-year-old did himself no favours after exhibiting another case of poor handling, which subsequently led to Villa’s opener.
Ashley Young delivered a dangerous cross, which Green parried into the path of Marc Albrighton, whose shot was pushed away by the West Ham goalkeeper but only to Stewart Downing, and the winger was left with a simple finish.
Green offered partial redemption in the 22nd minute with an excellent one-handed save from Young’s chipped effort.
The home side looked comfortable in possession throughout the first half, while any hostilities against James Milner for wanting a move to big-spending Manchester City were absent. The midfielder, along with Stiliyan Petrov, was at the heart of everything positive in the opening 45. Should the versatile 24-year-old move to Eastlands, Villa will be hard-pushed to find a replacement who holds the same influence in their engine room.
Villa doubled their lead four minutes before the break. Ashley Young followed on from his impressive midweek performance for England with another display that should bring him in contention for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign selections. The winger’s superb cross was met by Petrov, who ghosted into the six-yard box and nodded home.
West Ham enjoyed a brief spell in the opponent's third in the early stages of the second half but failed to provide a sustained threat on goal. Villa quickly regained control of proceedings with both Ashley Young and Downing offering useful outlets on each wing.
Villa added a third in the 66th minute and with Milner’s probable exit next week, it was fitting the midfielder signed off with a goal and a standing ovation from the supporters when he was substituted with five minutes remaining.
Albrighton, whose effervescent performance will mark him as a player to watch this season, showed excellent close control and once he had weaved his way into the area, he teed up Milner for a neat left-footed finish on the edge of the box.
The home side almost added a fourth late on as Carew’s shot which hit the post was unable to be turned in by Ashley Young from an acute angle. Villa remained on top for the remainder of the game after the third goal and positive performances from youngsters Ciaran Clark and Albrighton suggest the long-term future is far from bleak.
For West Ham, their display still suggests they have much to do if they wish to improve on last season’s 17th place. Avram Grant has proved he has enough tactical knowledge to ensure the Hammers’ safety but an alarming shortage of patience shown by co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan may restrict the time the Israeli has.
Following Martin O’Neill’s shock departure on Monday, a club who have secured European qualification three seasons running were bracing for a sharp downturn. On the basis of their dominance against West Ham, their fortunes may hold out for a while longer.
The Hammers and new manager Avram Grant will need to travel better this term if they wish to evade the constant fear of relegation the club experienced last season. Their midfield, including the influential Scott Parker, were anonymous in the opening 45 minutes. And the second half showed little improvement.
Villa displayed no signs of stage fright as they piled on the pressure in the opening exchanges. James Tomkins almost gifted the hosts an early goal following a woefully-short back-pass, which John Carew intercepted but hit the post once he rounded Robert Green.
All eyes were on the West Ham goalkeeper following his error in England’s World Cup game against USA, and the 30-year-old did himself no favours after exhibiting another case of poor handling, which subsequently led to Villa’s opener.
Ashley Young delivered a dangerous cross, which Green parried into the path of Marc Albrighton, whose shot was pushed away by the West Ham goalkeeper but only to Stewart Downing, and the winger was left with a simple finish.
Green offered partial redemption in the 22nd minute with an excellent one-handed save from Young’s chipped effort.
The home side looked comfortable in possession throughout the first half, while any hostilities against James Milner for wanting a move to big-spending Manchester City were absent. The midfielder, along with Stiliyan Petrov, was at the heart of everything positive in the opening 45. Should the versatile 24-year-old move to Eastlands, Villa will be hard-pushed to find a replacement who holds the same influence in their engine room.
Villa doubled their lead four minutes before the break. Ashley Young followed on from his impressive midweek performance for England with another display that should bring him in contention for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign selections. The winger’s superb cross was met by Petrov, who ghosted into the six-yard box and nodded home.
Parting gift | Milner scores Villa's third in what could be his final game
West Ham enjoyed a brief spell in the opponent's third in the early stages of the second half but failed to provide a sustained threat on goal. Villa quickly regained control of proceedings with both Ashley Young and Downing offering useful outlets on each wing.
Villa added a third in the 66th minute and with Milner’s probable exit next week, it was fitting the midfielder signed off with a goal and a standing ovation from the supporters when he was substituted with five minutes remaining.
Albrighton, whose effervescent performance will mark him as a player to watch this season, showed excellent close control and once he had weaved his way into the area, he teed up Milner for a neat left-footed finish on the edge of the box.
The home side almost added a fourth late on as Carew’s shot which hit the post was unable to be turned in by Ashley Young from an acute angle. Villa remained on top for the remainder of the game after the third goal and positive performances from youngsters Ciaran Clark and Albrighton suggest the long-term future is far from bleak.
For West Ham, their display still suggests they have much to do if they wish to improve on last season’s 17th place. Avram Grant has proved he has enough tactical knowledge to ensure the Hammers’ safety but an alarming shortage of patience shown by co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan may restrict the time the Israeli has.
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