Matthew Dunn was at the London Stadium for us tonight; I’ll leave you with his match report. Ta-ra!
Amadou Onana’s reaction
Amazing. I couldn’t have had a better start – the delivery was 12/10 and I couldn’t miss. The fans have been unbelievable. I like to play for traditional clubs with a big history.
I’m the main target at corners; my teammates try to create space for me. I think I did well – Antonio is a hard man to get away from. We work on set-pieces a lot and it’s nice that it paid off today.
[On Unai Emery] I couldn’t have a better manager at this stage of my career. His football IQ is unbelievable. I think I can improve on the ball. Unai is top top top regarding that.
I’m very comfortable playing with Youri [Tielemans], we understand each other on the pitch.
Jhon [Duran] will be a crucial player for us this season. He’s a very talented young man: big, fast, physical. We’re delighted to have him.
There’s nothing better than that Champions League song. I played in it at Lille and I can’t wait.
“We’ve had non-celebrations for scoring against former clubs, we’ve had non-celebrations for when players were on loan years ago for a couple of weeks,” begins Dylan Kenny. “Is this the first time a player hasn’t celebrated after scoring against a club he has been linked with?”
I wasn’t entirely sure what he was up to – was he apologising to the Villa fans?
"I'm staying, don't you worry folks!" 🏡 pic.twitter.com/cbHmsd7TB5
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
Full time: West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa
An excellent start to the season for Villa and particularly Uncle Unai. His big summer signing, Amadou Onana, headed Villa ahead in the fourth minute, then three of his substitutes combined for a slick winning goal from Jhon Duran.
Lucas Paqueta had equalised for West Ham with a debatable penalty. They improved in the second half, with Mohammed Kudus a big threat on the left, but overall Villa probably deserved the win.
Updated
90+7 min: How did that stay out! Kudus’s chipped cross from the right is met by Soucek, only a few yards out, and his header back across goal is hits the chest of Konsa. The ball bounces back towards Soucek, who slices it over from four yards!
HOW have West Ham not equalised? 🤯 pic.twitter.com/MfIk43d1Qe
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
Updated
90+5 min Villa are keeping the ball well. Philogene has half a chance but decides to cross instead of shoot and it’s headed away.
90+3 min Ward-Prowse’s corner is missed by Martinez, who ran into one of his own players, but bounces kindly for Villa to clear.
90+2 min A clever ball around the Villa defence, not sure who played it, reaches Summerville on the far side. Nedeljkovic does well to track him and concede a corner.
90+2 min “What about Sly Nastiness In Defensive Enterprise?” says Steve Dennis.
It’s the E that’s causing the problems here isn’t it.
90+1 min There will be seven minutes of added time.
90 min Now Philogene is booked for a foul on somebody.
89 min Philogene tries to clear a cross, launches fresh air downfield and is relieved to see the ball bounce through to Martinez after hitting his standing leg. That could easily have gone to a West Ham attacker.
87 min “May I suggest: Sneakiness Involving Denial of Enjoyment,” writes Will Lane.
Strong start. Strong middle. Let’s leave it there.
86 min Ings’ first touch is a flicked header from Summerville’s cross that draws a decent save from Martinez. He leapt to his left and clutched the ball with both hands.
85 min: Double substitution for West Ham Danny Ings and Jean-Clair Todibo replace Vladimir Coufal and Guido Rodriguez. That means a switch to three at the back.
83 min: Chance for Villa! Duran, Ramsey and Maatsen combine again, with Kilman sliding desperately towards his own goal to block Maatsen’s cross-shot.
Turns out Maatsen was offside but he and Ramsey are combining beautifully on the left.
83 min “I suggest: Some Naughtiness Involving Denying Enemy Nearing Scoring Situation,” writes Chloë Vaughan. “I think it has a nice ring to it.”
I’m not sure SNIDENSS rolls off the tongue, but it has promise. And it’s better than anything I’ve come up with.
82 min: Villa substitution The teenager Kosta Nedeljkovic replaces Matty Cash, who was given a serious workout by Mohammed Kudus.
Oh what a lovely goal that was. It started with Pau Torres, who lofted the ball towards the overlapping Maatsen on the left. He cushioned a volley infield to Ramsey, who reversed a terrific first-time pass across the area towards Duran. He completed a hat-trick of brilliant touches from the Villa substitutes by sweeping a left-foot shot past Areola from 12 yards.
HAS JHON DURAN JUST WON IT FOR VILLA?! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
The score now sits at 2-1 with ten minutes of the 90 to play! pic.twitter.com/fwvZOQYQsf
Updated
BRILLIANT GOAL! West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa (Duran 79)
Jhon Duran bites the hand that wanted to feed him!
Updated
77 min “The Fullkrug Monty,” is the subject of Peter Oh’s email. “West Ham’s BFG is gonna score the winner, isn’t he?”
It’s what the big man does best.
76 min Correction: Fullkrug replaced Antonio, not Kudus.
75 min: Double substitution for Villa Ian Maatsen comes on to make his Villa debut in place of Lucas Digne, and Jaden Philogene replaces Leon Bailey.
74 min: Triple substitution for West Ham Niclas Fullkrug, Crysensio Summerville and James Ward-Prowse replace Lucas Paqueta, Jarrod Bowen (who was very quiet) and Michail Antonio.
Updated
72 min Bailey’s corner is punched away decisively by Areola. Kudus makes some space with a lovely bit of ball-juggling and tries to put somebody through on goal. It’s just cut out by Cash.
71 min West Ham have had 52 per cent of the possession. For reference, they had 31 per cent in the equivalent game last season, which finished 1-1.
69 min “I’ve long thought that the concept of ‘denial of a goal scoring opportunity’ was a really elegant way to point out a problem that was once rife in football,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Maybe a similar phrase could encapsulate what’s so enervating about the tactical foul. Denial of building an attack? I’m sure there are better ways to phrase it.”
If it has the abbreviation SNIDE, so much the better.
66 min: Great chance for Villa! Looks can be deceiving. Lucas Digne guides an early through pass to Duran, who times his run brilliantly but then curls into the side netting as Areola advances. I think that was his first touch, and it would have been quite a twist given he almost joined West Ham in the summer.
Updated
65 min It hasn’t been a great second half. Villa look quite tired, actually, and at the moment West Ham look the likelier scorers.
64 min Coufal wafts a good cross beyond the far post, where Antonio pulls away from Cash but heads over. Niclas Fullkrug would have fancied his chances with that.
Updated
62 min: Double substitution for Villa Jhon Duran and Jacob Ramsey replace Ollie Watkins, who isn’t yet sharp enough to play 90 minutes, and John McGinn.
61 min Kudus gets away from Cash with a brilliant first touch, moves to the edge of the area and sprays a shot well wide of the near post. Lovely run though.
61 min “How’s Super John McGinn doing?” wonders Simon McMahon. “Only natural that he’d be knackered after Scotland’s run to the semi-finals group stage of Euro 24, right?”
He’s done okay I’d say. Had a decent chance at 1-0.
60 min Rogers plays a clever pass into the area for Watkins. Mavropanos tracks him all the way and then Watkins slips over.
56 min: Chance for Villa! A quick break almost leads to a second for Villa. Bailey and Rogers combined to tee up Tielemans, whose shot from the edge of the area was blocked. It ricocheted back to Rogers, whose tameish half-volley from 12 yards was shovelled round the near post by Areola.
55 min The corner is headed away to Rodriguez, who volleys over from 25 yards. Worth a pop.
55 min The dangerous Kudus wriggles away from Cash, who does well to recover and block the eventual cross. Kudus has been West Ham’s biggest threat by a distance.
54 min “You suggest (at 41 min) that WHU have been the better team since their goal,” says Sean Coffey. “I would suggest they were the better team from just prior to scoring as well.”
Look, I’ll do the pedantry round here, okay. It’s all I’ve got.
52 min This is a much more even game now. Kudus, who has played pretty well on the left, whips another cross that is inadvertently headed towards his own goal by Onana. Martinez makes a comfortable save.
50 min “I feel at times the criticism of tactical fouling is similar to that when a team parks the bus,” says Benjamin Park. “Certain teams/players have the luxury of never or rarely having to employ it because of their quality. It’s like if Man City faced Everton and complained they didn’t attempt to play total football, tiki-taka, build of from the back, all the kinds of things they’d relish facing and are capable of doing. Of course Everton would try to make the game chaotic, be physical, waste time and all the rest. To ask otherwise is a times to claim it should be a a duel on equal standing, when one side clearly is disadvantaged by this.”
My hunch is the opposite, that the best teams commit more tactical fouls than anyone. Might be wrong though. I suppose what we can all agree is that, as wonderful as football is, it’s overflowing with dishonest, hypocritical self-interest.
48 min: Chance for West Ham Kudus runs at Cash in the area. His first cross is blocked but then he rabonas a beauty towards Soucek at the far post. He takes the ball down on the chest, six yards from goal, and rifles a half-volley that is crucially blocked by Digne.
47 min Paqueta, who was booked in the first half, treads painfully on Bailey’s toe. I think it was an accident. More importantly, the referee isn’t interested.
46 min Peepety peep: Villa begin the second half.
Half-time reading
Half time: West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa
Funny old game. Villa were totally superior for 35 minutes and led through Amadou Onana’s debut goal. Then West Ham were awarded a debatable penalty, converted with a resting heart rate by Lucas Paqueta, and the rest of the half was an even contest.
45+1 min Three minutes of added time.
45 min The impressive Bailey cuts inside Mavropanos on the edge of the area, but his shot is mishit and goes well wide.
Meanwhile, here’s that equaliser from Lucas Paqueta.
Lucas Paqueta levels for West Ham from the spot! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/StkgD2XpW1
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
43 min “I’m not fully awake yet, but...” begins Brian McCloskey before launching into a few Big Lebowski puns. “I’m just gonna find a Matty Cash machine… That’s just, like, Youri Tielemans opinion, man.”
42 min The resulting corner leads to an appeal for handball when Kudus’s header hits Rogers. The man from VAR, he say no.
41 min West Ham have been the better team since the goal. Emerson plays a give-and-go, dances all the way across the field and hits a low drive that is pushed round by Martinez. I think it was going wide anyway but he took no chances.
38 min “All this chasing down & harassing the refs in matchday 1 seems a bit over the top,” says Karen Asadi. “I mean chill guys, it’s not like your life depends on it. I get playing for the shirt and all but it all really plays to the larger narrative of refs becoming the game’s whipping boys. Or like easy targets for bullies in school.”
I agree. But it’s not just the players – the media feed and encourage it, then moralise when somebody tries to chin a referee. I’m sure I do it at times, albeit without realising.
I blame the internet. For this, and everything.
Updated
GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa (Paqueta 37 pen)
Lucas Paqueta sits Emi Martinez down and slowly passes the ball into the net. Lovely penalty; he didn’t even look at the ball.
Updated
36 min: The penalty decision stands! It would probably have been overturned last season. Welcome back VAR, we’ve missed you.
Updated
VAR check A long ball into the area was taken down on the chest by Soucek, who then fell over after a tangle of legs with Cash. I think that’s harsh; Cash got a touch on the ball first.
Updated
35 min: Penalty to West Ham!
34 min Villa have been so impressive, playing with authority and a relaxed confidence. But 1-0 is a dangerous lead, almost as dangerous as 2-0, so they’ll be taking nothing for granted.
32 min: Just wide from McGinn! Rogers makes another barnstorming round through midfield and finds Bailey on the right. He cuts inside and forces a deflected pass through to McGinn on the edge of the area. His first effort is blocked and then he sidefoots a shot that rolls just past the far post.
31 min Lucas Paqueta is booked for a late tackle on Tielemans. Let’s not go there.
30 min Kudus’s dangerous cross from the left is headed behind by Digne, who was under pressure from Soucek and did really well.
28 min “I think that tactical fouling is a perfectly legitimate, if often infuriating, part of the game, and one that surely must be worked on in training,” says Charlie Robinson. “It reminds me a little of players taking the ball into the corner late in the game to waste time, winning throw-in after throw-in. Fans of the losing team will howl in despair, but I believe that time wasting and tactical fouling are one of the joys of football!
“Do you think there’s something bordering on the heroic sometimes when players commit offences such as tactical fouls or similar, taking one for the team, so to speak? We all remember Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hacking down Rob Lee in 1998, although apparently Alex Ferguson was furious with him, and of course Luis Suarez’s handball against Ghana, which in my view is the Platonic form of the art.
“We all know the consequences of such actions are a red card, so its acceptable within the laws of the game, so long as those rules are properly enforced. This may sound counter-intuitive, but I don’t regard either instance as being cheating as such, just doing what needs to be done within the confines of the game.”
I know what you mean. I probably admire Solskjaer and Suarez more because there was no attempt at deception. It’s the grubby, snide opportunism that gets a bit tedious.
26 min I suppose it was naive to think West Ham would hit the ground running given the change in their style of play. Villa look like a team who have been with the same, very very good coach for a couple of years.
23 min “Re: tactical fouls, I wondered this very point while I waited for the facial tics to subside after Ashley Young put my Everton down a man,” writes Eric Peterson. “Why cost yourself a suspension for a last-man foul when you’re already down two goals against a clearly better team? If a guy with his experience can’t resist the call of the void in that situation, then I can’t judge.”
22 min: Bailey hits the post! Villa should be 2-0 up. Cash drove a long pass over the top towards Bailey, who controlled the bouncing ball brilliantly and moved round Areola in the same movement. The angle was tight, with Kilman getting back, and he whipped his shot off the outside of the near post.
Updated
22 min “Talking of days gone by, my ear was caught when End of a Century by Blur came on the radio this morning, in particular the line about getting closer to 30,” writes Simon McMahon. “That was 30 years ago, and I’m now closer to 70 than I am to 30. How did that happen? Anyway, who’s winning the league this season? And don’t say Celtic.”
City. But which one?
21 min Rogers plays in the overlapping McGinn, whose chipped cross is headed away to the edge of the area. Rogers collects the loose ball and squares it to Bailey, whose first-time shot is blocked.
Villa have been much the better team in the first quarter.
19 min “Couldn’t help picking up on your ‘rug that tied the room together’ comment and took it as a green light for some Big Lebowski-themed fun,” writes Peader de Burca. “If Douglas Luiz is the floor adornment from the Coen brothers’ classic, then who on this Villa team is Walter’s dirty undies? Who is The Dude’s 1973 Gran Torino? Who, in the parlance of our times, is the ‘trophy wife’? And who is young Larry’s scrunched-up homework? At least they all roll on Shabbos.”
17 min Antonio’s snapshot from the edge of the area is blocked. West Ham need something to get the crowd going.
15 min Villa look a yard sharper than West Ham at the moment. A quick free-kick from Rogers – too quick for the camerman – puts Watkins through on goal on the right side of the area, but he dithers for a split-second and Areola dives at his feet. That looked an excellent chance.
Updated
13 min “In the Manchester City All or Nothing doc there is a sequence where Arteta (still at city at that point) is instructing their midfielders on exactly when to make tactical fouls in transitions, so I think they’re well ahead of you there!” says Will Vignoles.
Haha, tremendous. Do they train them on how to foul? One of Claude Makelele’s great strengths was his ability to make a foul look clumsy rather than cynical, and therefore not necessarily worthy of a yellow card. Norman Whiteside had the same ability, as evidenced here.
10 min: Good save by Areola! Rogers collects the ball in the centre circle and sets off. The West Ham defenders are distracted by various off-the-ball runs, which allows Rogers to make right through to the edge of the area before curling a low shot that is pushed away by Areola, diving to his right. Rogers didn’t get hold of it properly.
10 min Onana… one-nil!
VILLA DRAW FIRST BLOOD! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
Three minutes into his Aston Villa Premier League debut and Amadou Onana is on the scoresheet 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k0rWqrJZZz
9 min We’ll probably have specialist tactical foul coaches by 2030.
8 min Bailey is booked for a tactical foul on Kudus, who was leading a West Ham break. I wonder if managers train players on when they should and shouldn’t take a yellow card, or whether instinct just kicks in.
Updated
7 min Villa have made a relaxed, confident start. West Ham have yet to settle.
Amadou Onana has scored after 210 seconds of his Villa debut. Tielemans curled a left-wing corner into the six-yard box, where Onana got away from Antonio, leapt mightily and headed past Areola from four yards.
GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Aston Villa (Onana 4)
Now that’s what I call a good debut.
Updated
4 min “Seasons greetings, Rob,” says Digvijay Yadav. “Nostalgia is a fool’s errand and so on, but while the football now, at the top level, is amazing, I always find myself comparing this unfavourably with the late ‘90s and mid noughties. I used to watch everything then. Now I couldn’t tell you what is nice about the Villa bench that you’ve listed. Mostly, I miss the blood and thunder style.”
Mostly, I miss being 25 years younger.
2 min Kudus makes a very clumsy challenge on McGinn in the West Ham area. The referee doesn’t give it time of day but I wouldn’t mind seeing a replay. The ball bounced up and it looked like Kudus might have kicked through McGinn. That said, I don’t think there were many appeals from Villa.
#WHUAVL – 2’
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) August 17, 2024
VAR checked a potential penalty for a challenge by Kudus on McGinn. The VAR confirmed the referee’s call of no penalty, deeming it was minimal contact.
Updated
1 min Peep peep! West Ham kick off form left to right as we watch.
Here come the players. These players, to be precise.
West Ham (possible 4-2-3-1) Areola, Coufal, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson; Soucek, Rodriguez; Bowen, Kudus, Lucas Paqueta; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Cresswell, Summerville, Ward-Prowse, Fullkrug, Ings, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Irving.
Aston Villa (possible 4-2-2-2) Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers; McGinn, Watkins.
Substitutes: Gauci, Diego Carlos, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Ramsey.
Referee Tony Harrington.
“Have Villa recruited well enough?” wonders Andrew Hurley. “I think Douglas Luiz could be a big loss. And they don’t have enormous depth considering they were literally on fumes the last few games of last season, and they have champions league to come this season. But Emery…”
Ha, yes, Emery. I agree about Douglas Luiz, who was the rug that tied the room together. Onana has huge potential but it’s largely unfulfilled at this stage. It’ll be a boost when Boubacar Kamara is fit again. I don’t mind their depth – the bench tonight includes Diego Carlos, Ross Barkley, Emi Buendia, Ian Maatsen, Jacob Ramsey and Jhon Duran. That’s solid enough.
More match reports
Match report: Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
Ben Bloom was at the Emirates to watch Arsenal get their season off to relatively serene start.
Today’s Premier League results
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves
Oh, Everton 0-3 Brighton
Newcastle 1-0 Southampton
Nottm Forest 1-1 Bournemouth
Updated
“Having suffered another depressing start to my Everton boys’ season, I am looking forward to a palate cleanser of bright football from Villa,” writes Mary Waltz. “I think they will retain their well-earned top four status from last season.”
I don’t think they will, personally, though they’ll be loads of fun to watch and it wouldn’t shock me if they went quite deep in the Champions League.
A reminder of the teams
West Ham (possible 4-2-3-1) Areola, Coufal, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson; Soucek, Rodriguez; Bowen, Kudus, Lucas Paqueta; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Cresswell, Summerville, Ward-Prowse, Fullkrug, Ings, Todibo, Wan-Bissaka, Irving.
Aston Villa (possible 4-2-2-2) Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Onana, Tielemans; Bailey, Rogers; McGinn, Watkins.
Substitutes: Gauci, Diego Carlos, Barkley, Duran, Buendia, Philogene-Bidace, Nedeljkovic, Maatsen, Ramsey.
Referee Tony Harrington.
Updated
Season previews
Team news
Guido Rodriguez and Max Kilman are the only summer signings to start for West Ham, though Niclas Fullkrug and friends are on the bench.
Ollie Watkins starts up front for Villa, whose team also includes their big summer signing Amadou Onana.
Our first @PremierLeague starting XI of 2024/25 🤩 pic.twitter.com/o5u9Pyf0Ds
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 17, 2024
Your Aston Villa team to face West Ham. 💥#WHUAVL || #UpTheVilla pic.twitter.com/vTszSZFFcR
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 17, 2024
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of West Ham v Aston Villa at the London Stadium. This claret and blue contest is one of the better fixtures of the opening weekend, a hard-to-call meeting between a team that is making a fresh start and another that is about to explore new territory. Villa’s Champions League campaign starts next month, so for now their focus is to pick up where they left off in the Premier League.
West Ham want less of the same: not so much an improvement in results as a change of style now that Julen Lopetegui has replaced David Moyes. They’ve had a very good transfer window, bringing in Niclas Fullkrug, Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo among others. A team that has lived and breathed counter-attacks for the last few years may take a while to adjust to having more of the ball. We’ll soon find out.
Kick off 5.30pm.
