Jesse Lingard scored twice and got his West Ham United career off to the perfect start as the Hammers cruised to a 3-1 victory away against Aston Villa.
Lingard only joined the club on loan from Manchester United on Saturday but was thrown straight in the deep end by starting on Wednesday night at Villa Park. It was the 28-year-old’s first Premier League start for over a year and his first goals since last July too.
Follow a cagey first half, which ended goalless, West Ham took the lead in the 51st minute when the ever-reliable Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek slotted home from Said Benrahma’s slide-rule pass. It was his eighth goal of the season and only Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes has scored from midfield in the Premier League this season.
The Hammers doubled their advantage just five minutes later when a quick counter-attack saw Michail Antonio float a ball into Lingard’s path. The midfielder controlled the ball on his chest before firing a low left-footed strike past Emiliano Martinez, although the Villa goalkeeper should have done better.
Ollie Watkins gave the valiant hosts hope when he slid and fired home with nine minutes remaining but West Ham restored their two-goal lead just seconds later through Lingard again. Another swift counter-attack was finished by a low right-footed effort into the bottom corner. Again, Martinez would have felt he should have done better but it was good to see Lingard back to his old self ad he danced away in the corner with his new team-mates in celebration.
With England manager Gareth Southgate in attendance on Wednesday night, could a hot streak for Lingard at West Ham help him force his way into the national setup in preparation for the delayed Euros this summer? One would certainly think so.
Speaking post-match Antonio described Lingard as an ‘unbelievable player’ but was quick to add it was a true ‘team performance’. And it’s these team performances that have seen West Ham turn into one of the surprise packages of the season.
Had you said to any Irons fan on September 12, following a bleak 2-0 loss to Newcastle, that they’d be sat in fifth place just two points behind reigning Premier League champions Liverpool with over half the season played; they’d have taken it and ran further than the hills if that’s at all possible. Since their resounding 4-0 home win against Wolves in late September, they’ve not looked back and should now be focusing on potentially securing European football for next season.
As for Villa, it’s been a hit-and-miss season. They find themselves in ninth place and have secured some excellent results this season, such as a 3-0 win away at Arsenal and that 7-2 win at home to Liverpool. But it’s results such as a 2-1 loss to Brighton and 3-2 loss to Burnley that could leave them wondering what might have been.
However, given that they stayed up by the skin of their teeth last season, they’ve come along leaps and bounds this season and should be excited about kicking on further in the coming months. They welcome Arsenal on Saturday and will be looking to do a league double over the Gunners.
Meanwhile, West Ham travel to Fulham on Saturday evening, where the home side will be looking to kickstart a run of good form in order to boost their survival hopes. However, if Wednesday night is anything to go by, it’ll be a tough ask for Fulham to leave with anything come Saturday night especially now Lingard is back and firing again.
