EMERSON BAGS EQUALIZER AS WEST HAM COME FROM GOAL DOWN TO DRAW 1-1 WITH ASTON VILLA AWAY

West Ham came from behind to earn a hard-fought draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Jacob Ramsey exchanged a slick one-two with Ollie Watkins before slotting into the bottom corner from an angle to give the hosts an early lead.

The Hammers levelled when Edson Alverez’s pinpoint cross was headed in at the far post by Emerson.

Villa dominated the first half but Graham Potter’s side created chances with Lucas Paqueta firing wide on two occasions.

Ezri Konsa cleared off the line from a Carlos Soler effort that struck the post with the away side pushing for an equaliser, which eventually came in the 70th minute.

The result means Villa remain eighth in the table while West Ham move up to 13th.

Villa’s strong home form continues

Once Villa went ahead through Ramsey, it looked like they would run away with the game but they did not make the most of their chances.

The hosts had the ball in the back of the net again two minutes later through Morgan Rogers but the offside flag was raised.

Watkins then sent a header wide while Youri Tielemans’ strike from 20 yards whistled past the post.

Villa manager Unai Emery, who was watching on from the stands after picking up three yellow cards, was concerned when Tyrone Mings went down injured with half an hour played.

A collision with West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus left Mings clutching his left knee in agony, just three months on from his return to action from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, but he came out and sat on the bench for the second half.

Watkins posted on Instagram after the game: “I’ve had some serious knee injuries, this isn’t one of them.”

While Villa will be disappointed not to win, they are unbeaten in 11 home games, with only Arsenal (14) on a longer such run in the league.

Kesh Awefada

Kesh Awefada

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