West Ham did not look like a team who are about to embark on a triumphant march to safety. The boos at full‑time said it all. Nobody regarded inching out of the relegation zone as reason for celebration and, while this performance represented an improvement on the collapse against Brighton last weekend, it was not enough to quell the crowd’s rising discontent with David Moyes’s management.
For Moyes there were positives to be gleaned from his side recovering after falling behind to Ollie Watkins’s sixth goal in seven games for Aston Villa. West Ham summoned resilience, equalising through Saïd Benrahma’s penalty, and felt they had enough chances. Benrahma went close four times during a tight second half. Pablo Fornals shot over. Maxwel Cornet offered hope in his brief cameo, although the forward could do with reading up on the offside law before his next appearance.
But this was still a missed opportunity. After all it is unlikely that West Ham’s away form is going to keep them up. They look reliant on home comforts and yet the impression here was of a club going through the motions, with the atmosphere stuck at room temperature and the manager slow to make attacking changes.
Moyes, who had heard the fans turn on him during the 4-0 defeat at Brighton, had options on the bench. It was not until the 77th minute that he called on Fornals. Cornet would have to wait until four minutes from time and Gianluca Scamacca, the £35.5m Italy striker, was not given a chance to show whether he could flourish alongside Danny Ings, who was poor against his former side. “We didn’t finish well enough,” Moyes said. “I thought today’s performance merited support. A bit more quality might have got something more.”
Moyes had restricted himself to two changes, Thilo Kehrer replacing Ben Johnson at right-back, Kurt Zouma back in central defence, and West Ham started with purpose. Nayef Aguerd turned a free-kick wide. Jarrod Bowen lifted a cross over Matty Cash, who was relieved to see Benrahma volley over.
There was positive intent, Declan Rice staying back and allowing Tomas Soucek to support Lucas Paquetá. Yet there were few openings for Ings, who was shackled by Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, and it would not be long before West Ham’s momentum stalled.
Unai Emery has turned Villa into a patient outfit on the road. They struck out of nothing in the 17th minute, Álex Moreno advancing from left-back and finding Watkins with a gorgeous whipped cross. But it was a soft concession. Douglas Luiz strolled through midfield, Kehrer stood off Moreno and Aguerd lost Watkins, who punished the West Ham defence by glancing a bouncing header past Alphonse Areola.
“The moment we were in control was when we could have scored the second goal,” Emery said. Villa’s manager was happy with a point but remains concerned about being dragged into a relegation fight. “Next week against Bournemouth we play another key match.”
Villa, 11 points above the bottom three, were lax in possession at times. They were light in midfield without Boubacar Kamara, forcing Emery to start Leon Bailey on the right and move John McGinn into a deeper role, and West Ham saw vulnerabilities. Hope blossomed whenever Bowen ran beyond Moreno.
West Ham, who still host Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle, kept looking for Bowen. After 25 minutes the winger won and took a corner. Emiliano Martínez flapped at it and Watkins headed Paquetá’s shot off the line. Villa were rocking. Paquetá was streetwise. The Brazilian gathered the ball and, feeling contact from Bailey, tumbled in exaggerated fashion. “I respect the referees,” Emery said. “But it was a very soft penalty.”
Michael Salisbury, the VAR, could not find a clear and obvious error. Benrahma duly blasted his penalty past Martínez and West Ham tried to push on, Zouma going close. But Villa stirred. They almost led again when Moreno and Jacob Ramsey combined, only for Areola to deny Watkins.
Both sides grew frustrated after half-time. There is a feeling within West Ham’s dressing room that Moyes is too cautious. The attacking angles were less predictable here but the aim was awry. A lively Benrahma was the chief threat, drawing a couple of excellent saves from Martínez.
Emery responded, Lucas Digne replacing Moreno, Bertrand Traoré on for Bailey, and Villa improved. They wanted a penalty when Rice tangled with the disappointing Emi Buendía.
West Ham, who have scored 24 goals in 26 games, roused themselves. With eight minutes left Bowen found Fornals, who missed. Benrahma’s 10th effort of the game went wide.
It seemed that Villa had settled for a point when Calum Chambers replaced Watkins. Yet their substitute, Jhon Durán, could have won it in the final minute. Moyes, who made light of Paquetá storming down the tunnel following his substitution, is living on the edge.
