Jhon Durán chose the opening weekend of the season to conjure the sort of mischievous late plot twist that makes the return of the Premier League so compelling.
All summer, the Colombia international dreamed of knocking in goals at the London Stadium. The trouble was, he rather hoped he would be doing it in the claret and blue of West Ham – not Villa’s away kit.
He even went to the extent of posing on social media doing the famous arms-folded Hammers stance – earning himself a huge pile of invective from Villa fans. Awkwardly, though, West Ham are still to submit a bid that Villa feel is acceptable.
So the moment he came on as a substitute on the hour to replace Ollie Watkins, it was almost inevitable what would happen next.
Almost immediately, Durán got his first chance, only to direct his far-post header high into the sky. The second opportunity was better as Villa once again ripped a hole down the flank of West Ham’s struggling defence, but this time he was still only able to get as close as the side-netting.
However, 11 minutes from time, another neat move found him eight yards from goal and this time the tap-in found its target. Cue a delighted but “crossed-Irons”-free celebration.
“There will be more rumours about him after his goal, but I believe in him,” his manager, Unai Emery, said. “I don’t know if he will stay.
“With every player we were open in case a big offer came in, and he is one of those players. We know his potential and we know if he is leaving the offer must be good for the club. But I don’t want him to leave.
“I gave him 30 minutes today and he’s very important to us. We believe in him and he has to play, he has to be ready to train every day like he was doing the last week and like he trained today.
For me we need two strikers and both have to have good performances and good commitment to play like they both played today.”
Watkins, of course, knows all about the role of a late finisher from his time with England at Euro 2024. Julen Lopetegui wanted something similar from Niclas Füllkrug but his weak late header, alongside Tomas Soucek’s double failure to convert from close range in an injury-time scramble, consigned the former Real Madrid manager to defeat in his opening game.
He had looked to have been saved from that ignominy by a controversial penalty decision against Matty Cash that could so easily have robbed Villa of a win. Replays showed there was very little in the coming together between the Aston Villa defender and Soucek for the decision that gifted Lucas Paquetá the chance to level from the spot.
However, this was one bundle of Cash that ultimately did not pay off. After a weak defensive display and lacklustre start to a new era, the jury remains out on the West Ham owners’ £120m summer investment. With that much at stake, Lopetegui knows the clock is ticking loudly.
“It’s a pity for us and for our fans – we had big expectations and ambitions for this match,” he said. “For a lot of players it was their first match in our stadium. Max Kilman did well. Guido Rodríguez too. A lot of them have to improve and push the players in the lineup to be more competitive.
“We have to learn from the bad things and keep the good things we have. Maybe it’s not easy for them but they have to adapt as soon as possible.”
In a video call-to-arms delivered via the two giant screens in the final moments before kick-off, the former Real Madrid manager had vowed solemnly to West Ham fans: “A new story is about to unfold.”
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Sure enough, Villa had not beaten the Hammers away for 13 years but took the lead inside four minutes thanks to a set piece of ghastly simplicity. Youri Tielemans’s corner was nodded strongly into the back of the net by Amadou Onana after his darting run left the West Ham stalwart Michail Antonio two yards in his wake.
After equalising against the run of play before the break, flashes of inspiration from Mohammed Kudus in particular were enough to keep the crowd onside throughout the second half. The players remain confident that this will be a step forward for a club with ambitions to “do a Villa” and win a place in the Champions League.
Their new captain, Jarrod Bowen, said: “We have exciting players. It’s an exciting time with a new manager and new ideas. There were signs that things are clicking and coming into play. Now it’s down to us to go out and show it.”
