John McGinn on target for second game running as Aston Villa down West Ham to tighten grip on fourth place | OneFootball

Aston Villa solidified their top-four credentials with a 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened West Ham, snapping a three-match winless streak in the Premier League.

Unai Emery’s side had little time to dwell on their 2-0 triumph over Lille on Thursday, but made a quick start to proceedings and nearly opened the scoring in the early exchanges when Konstantinos Mavropanos denied Ollie Watkins a certain goal from point-blank range.

Villa were rewarded for their bright start in the 15th minute following a well-worked free-kick routine, which saw Jadon Sancho cleverly lay the ball off for captain John McGinn.

The Scotsman did not hesitate, curling a trademark left-footed effort from the edge of the area into the far corner, leaving Mads Hermansen with no chance.

West Ham nearly hit back almost immediately through Valentin Castellanos, who sent a header wide for his side’s first effort.

Mavropanos had arguably been the best player on the pitch for the opening 30 minutes but was adjudged to have committed a foul on Watkins inside the box, before VAR intervened to show that the defender actually got the ball.

Moments later, Mavropanos was on hand to deny Morgan Rogers on the line as Villa continued to search for a second goal before half time.

Having watched his side pose no attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes, Nuno Espirito Santo sent on Adama Traore and Callum Wilson after the interval.

The changes saw West Ham intensify their attacking impetus, and Axel Disasi came close to restoring parity in the 54th minute.

Still only one goal down, the Hammers remained confident they could get something out of the game, but their task was made significantly more difficult midway through the second period.

Rogers unleashed an effort towards goal that was saved by Hermansen, only for Watkins to fire home the rebound, offering a much-needed boost for the striker after his England snub.

Now trailing by two, West Ham had to throw caution to the wind a bit, but their late surge was all to no avail as Villa secured a deserved victory.

Capitalising on slip-ups by Chelsea and Liverpool, Emery’s men are now five points clear in fourth with seven games left.

For West Ham, their only consolation is that Tottenham Hotspur were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest in a crucial relegation six-pointer, so they remain a point adrift of safety.