Four things we learned after Aston Villa rescued a point against West Ham in a 1-1 draw thanks to Nicolò Zaniolo.
In a game of two halves, Unai Emery’s team fantastically bounced back in the second half to rescue a point at the London Stadium.
Michail Antonio opened the scoreline for the hosts in a poor first-half display from Villa as they struggled to manage the game.
However, Emery changed the system throughout the second half with a series of substitutions which helped get the visitors back in the game.
Then, two of the substitutes managed to combine as Moussa Diaby linked with Zaniolo to net a late equaliser.
West Ham almost managed to snatch the three points late on but VAR dramatically intervened to chalk off the host’s late winner and ensure the game ended level.
Below we look at four things that we learned from the tie.
Aston Villa’s defence looked shaky vs West Ham
Once again Villa looked fragile at the back. Throughout the first half, West Ham looked like they were going to score with every attack.
The opener came from poor defending all around. Ezri Konsa, who was used at right-back struggled in this position and couldn’t prevent the cross. Then, Pau Torres had poor positional awareness to allow Antonio on-side to slot home the ball.
Despite improving in the second period, set pieces continued to be an issue and the Hammers put another two in the net. However, the backline were quickly saved by VAR on both occasions.
Unai Emery’s super-subs
After a terrible first-half display, it was clear that Emery had to change something. His squad was already depleted of options with injuries and the suspension of captain John McGinn.
However, Emery made use of what he had with each of the substitutions making an impact. Matty Cash helped increase the visitors’ attacking intent while Lucas Digne helped continue the momentum.
Yet, it was Diaby and Zaniolo who saved the day with the duo linking up to save a point on a tough away day.
VAR saves the day
VAR has already had plenty of controversial moments. Once again, the system made an impact on a Villa game.
First off, West Ham thought they had made it 2-0 when Antonio bundled the ball home. Upon replays, it was clear it went in off his arm and was rightly disallowed by VAR.
However, a more controversial moment came right at the end of the match. A free-kick was whipped into the box and caused chaos for the visitors before eventually being poked home.
VAR once again reviewed the goal looking at numerous incidents before settling on another handball. The decision took a substantial amount of time but did seem to be the correct one to save Villa once more.
Aston Villa fail to take full advantage of Spurs slip-up
Villa had a massive opportunity to pull five points clear of Spurs going into the game. Tottenham fell to a massive 3-0 defeat to Fulham on Saturday evening despite beating Villa 4-0 at Villa Park the week before.
With a potential Champions League position at stake, Villa knew a victory against West Ham could be vital, especially with Spurs having a game in hand.
However, the visitors could not take full advantage of this and in the end, had to settle for a good point.
This now puts Emery’s side three points clear of fifth and puts Champions League qualification back in Villa’s hands.
