West Ham United 2-3 Aston Villa Premier League London Stadium, Sunday 14 December 2025

By West Ham United

West Ham United’s inability to keep clean sheets or maintain leads cost Nuno Espírito Santo’s side again as Aston Villa twice came from behind to win 3-2 at London Stadium.

The Hammers looked the more likely winners for long stretches of Sunday’s Premier League game, but defensive frailties sent the hosts to a damaging defeat.

Goals from Mateus Fernandes and Jarrod Bowen inside the opening 24 minutes ultimately gave the Irons false hope as a Dinos Mavropanos own-goal and two strikes from England international Morgan Rogers secured all three points for Unai Emery’s team.

On the day West Ham honored their most-famous No4, Billy Bonds MBE, it was Villa’s No4 whose mistake gifted the Hammers the lead inside 30 seconds. Ezri Konsa lost control of the ball under pressure from Fernandes, who took a touch and fired high past Marco Bizot at the near post and into the roof of the Villa net.

At 29 seconds, Fernandes’s strike was West Ham’s fastest Premier League goal ever and the earliest scored by any team this Premier League season.

Villa also scored with their first attack, too, although it was Mavropanos who put through his own net, inadvertently diverting John McGinn’s in-swinging cross into the top right-hand corner as he leapt with Ollie Watkins.

Chances were at a premium but West Ham went back in front from our next shot on target. El Hadji Malick Diouf’s cross from the right was headed out by Konsa as far as Freddie Potts, whose first-time volley was diverted past Bizot by the ever-alert Bowen.

Morgan Rogers then curled over and Crysencio Summerville dragged wide as half-time approached and the Irons went in ahead at the break.

That lead was wiped out within five minutes of the restart, though, and again West Ham played a big part in conceding. Lucas Paquetá was robbed by John McGinn, Youri Tielemans crossed and Rogers was given time and space to control and fire low past Alphonse Areola with Villa’s first shot on target.

Pegged back for a second time, West Ham went on the hunt for a third. Soungoutou Magassa shot straight at Bizot from range, Fernandes had an effort blocked and Diouf wildly sliced a volley high and wide.

Unai Emery reacted by sending on Donyell Malen and the Dutchman immediately had a powerful shot parried by Areola, then the Hammers went up the other end and Summerville saw a shot blocked. A minute later, Bowen raced through and netted, only for the assistant to immediately – and correctly – raise his flag for offside.

Then, with eleven minutes to go, Villa showed why they are challenging for the title as Rogers collected in space 30 yards out and thumped past Jean-Clair Todibo and Areola to put the visitors in front.

Stunned, West Ham could not muster a late response, with Villa instead going close to scoring a fourth, first when Lucas Digne forced Areola into a plunging save, then when Rogers shot narrowly wide of the far post.

West Ham United: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Diouf, Potts (Souček 88), Magassa (Wilson 81), Fernandes, Paquetá (Rodríguez 88), Summerville (Kanté 88), Bowen © Subs not used: Hermansen (GK), Walker-Peters, Kilman, Igor, Scarles

Goals: Fernandes 1, Bowen 24

Booked: Diouf

Aston Villa: Bizot, Cash, Lindelöf, Konsa, Maatsen (Digne 75), McGinn ©, Tielemans, Onana (Malen 64), Kamara, Rogers, Watkins (Buendía 75) Subs not used: Wright (GK), Garcia, Bogarde, Lawrence, Sancho, Guessand

Goal: Mavropanos 9 (og), Rogers 50, 79

Booked: Kamara, Cash

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Attendance: 62,447