Jhon Duran defied weeks of speculation over a move to West Ham United by scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for Aston Villa in Saturday's Premier League opener at the London Stadium.
Julen Lopetegui went into his first game as West Ham head coach with a reputation of being somewhat of a defensive-minded tactician, yet that mattered little during the first half.
Just four minutes into his competitive debut for Villa, Amadou Onana was on the scoresheet, meeting an inswinging corner from Youri Tielemans with a bullet header into the bottom corner.
By half time, though, West Ham were back on level terms. After Matty Cash had hauled down Tomas Soucek inside the area, Lucas Paqueta stepped up to convincingly slot the ball past Emiliano Martinez.
As the second half progressed, West Ham were having the better of general play without really testing Martinez, while Villa looked more of a threat on the break before Ollie Watkins was withdrawn just after the hour mark, a consequence of his efforts with England.
Jhon Duran - his replacement and a prolonged target for West Ham in recent weeks - should have put Villa back ahead soon after his introduction, instead only lashing an effort into the side-netting when free inside the penalty area.
With 11 minutes to go, however, the Colombia international had his goal in fine style. Ian Maatsen's delicious touch teed up Jacob Ramsey to cut the ball back to Duran, whose first-time finish from 12 yards was followed by a celebration that reassured the visiting support that he was staying at the club.
Villa should have added further to their tally, as equally as West Ham should have equalised in the seventh minute of added-on time as Soucek somehow skied the ball over the crossbar from two yards out.
As a result, Villa were left to celebrate a morale-boosting opening-day victory, ending a run of three straight defeats on the first day of a Premier League campaign.
WEST HAM VS. ASTON VILLA HIGHLIGHTS
Amadou Onana goal vs. West Ham (4th min, West Ham 0-1 Aston Villa)
VILLA DRAW FIRST BLOOD! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
Three minutes into his Aston Villa Premier League debut and Amadou Onana is on the scoresheet 🔥 pic.twitter.com/k0rWqrJZZz
Lucas Paqueta goal vs. Aston Villa (37th min, West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa)
Lucas Paqueta levels for West Ham from the spot! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/StkgD2XpW1
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
Jhon Duran goal vs. West Ham (79th min, West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa)
HAS JHON DURAN JUST WON IT FOR VILLA?! 💥
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 17, 2024
The score now sits at 2-1 with ten minutes of the 90 to play! pic.twitter.com/fwvZOQYQsf
MAN OF THE MATCH - AMADOU ONANA
© Reuters
Villa spent far more money on Onana than many general football supporters would feel was justified, yet the Belgium international slotted in seamlessly to the engine room.
Working alongside Belgian compatriot Tielemans perhaps helped his cause, yet this was a performance that only served encouragement to his new fanbase, particularly having never set the world alight at Everton.
As well as his important opening goal, Onana was a physical presence with his defensive work, protecting a back four that had been poor during pre-season. While there is plenty more to come, this was the perfect start for Douglas Luiz's replacement.
WEST HAM VS. ASTON VILLA MATCH STATS
Possession: West Ham 51%-49% Aston Villa
Shots: West Ham 14-15 Aston Villa
Shots on target: West Ham 3-3 Aston Villa
Corners: West Ham 5-3 Aston Villa
Fouls: West Ham 18-11 Aston Villa
BEST STATS
4 - Amadou Onana's header in the 4th minute was the joint earliest goal a player has scored on their Premier League debut for Aston Villa alongside Kevin Phillips' strike against Bolton back in August 2005. Entrance. pic.twitter.com/zgEyP5QQM9
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 17, 2024
WHAT NEXT?
The difficult start continues for Villa as they commence their home campaign with a showdown against Arsenal next Saturday evening.
Earlier in the day, West Ham make the short trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace bidding to kick-start their campaign.
Darren Plant
