Aston Villa 1-3 West Ham United

Aston Villa suffered a first home Premier League defeat since the end of November as they fell to a 3-1 reverse against West Ham United.

Tomas Soucek drilled low past Emi Martinez to fire the Hammers into a 51^st-minute lead, which was doubled by Jesse Lingard shortly afterwards following a swift counter-attack.

Tyrone Mings cleared off the line from Michail Antonio to deny the visitors a third at Villa Park, before Ollie Watkins, who clipped the woodwork in the first half, looked to have set up a tense finale in the 81^st minute with his 11^th goal of the season courtesy of captain Jack Grealish’s 10^th assist.

But Lingard quickly extinguished any hopes of a fightback with his second of the game, ending a run of back-to-back home league wins for Dean Smith’s side, who conceded their first league goals on home soil since the reverse to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Villans, who handed a second-half debut to new signing Morgan Sanson, will now be looking to get back on track on Saturday against Arsenal.

Anwar El Ghazi, who bagged five goals in five games during December, was handed his first start since New Year's Day, replacing Bertrand Traore as head coach Smith made one change from Saturday’s triumph at Southampton.

Antonio tested Martinez after 12 minutes of an open start to the encounter before Lingard forced the Villa goalkeeper into action from long range soon afterwards.

Watkins headed over Matty Cash’s right-wing cross midway through the first half before clipping the outside of the far post with a curling effort in the 27^th minute.

Ross Barkley pulled a good chance wide before Soucek did likewise at the other end and Vladimir Coufal fired straight at Martinez.

Traore replaced El Ghazi at the interval but it was the visitors who started the second half on the front foot, Antonio firing off target before Soucek latched on to Said Benrahma’s precise pass and drilled low across Martinez into the far corner.

And it was soon 2-0 following a speedy counter from the Hammers as Antonio found Lingard, he chested the ball down and converted past Martinez despite the best efforts of Villa’s retreating rearguard.

Mings raced back and produced a superb goalline clearance to deny Antonio a third for West Ham after he had lobbed the ball over Martinez.

Villa pressed in search of a route back into the encounter but the visitors stood firm, Smith introducing Sanson off the bench for his Villa bow in the 80^th minute.

And the hosts immediately found a route back into the game as Watkins raced on to Grealish’s throughball and slotted past Lukasz Fabianski.

But any hopes of a late fightback were ended in the 83^rd minute as Lingard grabbed his second of the game to seal the points for the visitors.

Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Luiz (Sanson 80), McGinn, El Ghazi (Traore 46), Barkley (Trezeguet 69), Grealish, Watkins.

Subs: Heaton, Engels, Elmohamady, Nakamba, Ramsey, Davis.