Aston Villa moved firmly back into the top four conversation on Sunday with a composed 2-0 win over West Ham at Villa Park, as Unai Emery’s side made the most of dropped points elsewhere.
John McGinn opened the scoring from a well-constructed set piece in the first half, latching onto a loose ball in the box after Villa’s delivery caused defensive confusion.
Ollie Watkins made it two shortly after, the striker delivering a timely reminder of his quality after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s most recent England squad.
West Ham managed just one shot on target across the entire 90 minutes. Villa had seven.
The performance was controlled rather than spectacular — the kind of three points that a team chasing European qualification needs to collect without drama.
Emery’s record of converting set pieces into goals remains one of the most impressive tactical traits in the division, a fact that has consistently unsettled opponents who know it is coming but cannot stop it.
For West Ham, the situation is straightening up into something bleak. They are in the bottom three and have shown little sign of producing the consistent performances required to escape.
The Hammers replaced Graham Potter earlier in the season and have been through further instability since. There is no coherent identity to point to when things go wrong.
Villa remain in the Champions League positions, though Liverpool and Manchester United are close enough to keep the pressure on across the final fixtures.
The run-in will test Emery’s depth and squad management. But on the evidence of Sunday, there is no obvious reason to doubt that Villa can hold their position.
