Gabby Agbonlahor has sent a hilarious message to Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran after he scored the winner against West Ham United.
Aston Villa began their 2024/25 Premier League in style as Unai Emery’s men secured a late victory against West Ham.
Amadou Onana scored the opener inside four minutes on his Villa debut, powering his header home from Youri Tieleman’s pinpoint corner.
The Hammers then got back on level terms controversially, as Matty Cash conceded a soft penalty that arguably shouldn’t have stood. Lucas Paqueta made no mistake in placing the ball past Emi Martinez.
In the second half, the game hung in the balance, but an inspired triple substitution from Emery, who brought on Jhon Duran for Ollie Watkins paid dividends.
Watkins lacked match sharpness after not playing a single minute in pre-season, whereas Duran looked fresh and he emphatically smashed home the winner in the 79th minute to send Villa fans into delirium.
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Gabby Agbonlahor’s hilarious reaction to Jhon Duran’s winner v West Ham
When Duran came off the bench, it was written in the stars for him to score the winner.
West Ham tabled a bid for Duran earlier in the summer and the 20-year-old even alienated the Villa fanbase when he performed an ‘irons’ gesture.
The young striker was fined for that disrespectful action and has since learned from that mistake, with Emery explaining the reasons why he did it.
If supporters hadn’t forgiven him yet, they certainly have now, as he fired the visitors to three points on the opening day, much to the delight of Gabby Agbonlahor.
The former Villa striker took to X after the game to post a hilarious message to Duran, referencing the moment when he performed the irons gesture.
Jhon Duran can kick on now in a Villa shirt
Towards the end of last season, Duran proved what an incredible talent he was.
The moment that stuck out was when he scored a brace from the bench against Liverpool and bullied Virgil van Dijk.
This evening, he showed similar attributes and was a complete nuisance for the Hammers to defend against, pinning them back with his pace, power and runs in behind.
Now, after scoring the winner, he must use that as a catalyst to kick on in claret and blue. With Watkins looking slightly off the pace, he’ll have further opportunities to show his class, either from the bench or starting.
Villa supporters will be happy that Emery wanted to keep Duran, even after his childish actions and scoring against the side that wanted him just explains why.
