Aston Villa vs West Ham United. Premier League.
Villa ParkAttendance38,193.
Saturday 26 December 2015 18:08, UK
Aston Villa came from a goal down to draw 1-1 with West Ham on Boxing Day, but their wait for a Premier League victory stretched to 17 games.
Despite being in the ascendancy for large periods of the first half, Villa were behind at the break as Aaron Cresswell's sumptuous low drive put the Hammers in front in first-half stoppage-time.
But Remi Garde's side drew level on 62 minutes as Jordan Ayew converted a penalty after Angelo Ogbonna was adjudged to have clipped striker Rudy Gestede in the area.
Villa pushed for a winner late on but failed to find a breakthrough, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and without a victory since the first day of the season.
West Ham, meanwhile, earned a draw for the fourth game in a row, although Cresswell's strike ended a run of three consecutive goalless draws.
Villa fans got behind their relegation-threatened side from the off, cheering raucously in a promising opening spell for the hosts.
Villa responded to the support, with Gestede having the game's first chance on 18 minutes but his header missed the target.
That chance sparked a spell of Villa dominance, but a smart double save from Adrian on 28 minutes - to deny Leandro Bacuna and then Gestede - ensured the spell would not yield a goal.
Villa lost Carlos Sanchez to injury seven minutes before half-time and, as his replacement Carles Gil adjusted to the game, West Ham took the chance to open to scoring.
Shortly after Cheikhou Kouyate had headed Enner Valencia's deflected shot on the bar, Cresswell punished a defensive lapse from Villa, utilising the space afforded to him before using Alan Hutton as a shield to drill a swerving shot beyond the reach of Brad Guzan.
It was a cruel blow for Villa given their promising play in the opening 45 minutes, but they returned after the interval undeterred and could have been level within five minutes of the restart, but Gestede failed to head Hutton's cross home.
Jordan Veretout ensured Adrian was called into action to keep out his low drive on 53 minutes, and the Spaniard was on hand again to keep Gestede's effort out six minutes later as Villa pushed for an equaliser.
The breakthrough finally came shortly after the hour-mark when Ogbonna - much to the annoyance of West Ham players and staff, who felt he was fouled in the build-up - was penalised for clipping Gestede, allowing Ayew to equalise with a fine penalty.
Villa went from winning and scoring a penalty to almost conceding two of their own, as Bacuna appeared to block Mark Noble's goal-bound effort with his hands on 70 minutes, before Westwood did the same to a chipped pass from substitute Alex Song.
Referee Mike Dean was unmoved on both occasions as the spoils were shared, a result which does little to help Villa's plight at the bottom of the table.
Player ratings
Aston Villa: Guzan (7), Hutton (8), Okore (6), Lescott (6), Bacuna (7), Westwood (7), Sanchez (5), Gana (6), Veretout (7), Gestede (7), Ayew (8).
Subs used: Traore (5), Gil (6).
West Ham: Adrian (8), Tomkins (6), Collins (7), Ogbonna (6), Cresswell (8), Obiang (6), Kouyate (7), Antonio (7), Noble (6), Zarate (7), Valencia (7).
Subs used: Song (5), Jenkinson (6), Oxford (5).
Man of the match: Jordan Ayew.
