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Aston Villa staged a sensational second-half comeback to defeat West Ham United 2-1 in their FA Cup third-round tie on Friday night. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, Villa struck twice in five second-half minutes through Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers to deny Graham Potter a winning start as West Ham manager.
Potter’s West Ham career got off to a dream start when Lucas Paqueta scored the opener after just nine minutes. Paqueta had already tested Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen with a rocket of a shot within the first 45 seconds, and he made no mistake when he sidefooted Crysencio Summerville’s pass past Olsen. The goal was a perfect start for Potter, who was taking charge of his first game as West Ham manager, just a day after his appointment.
However, the mood was quickly soured when Niclas Fullkrug, who had missed 10 Premier League games with an Achilles issue, limped off with a hamstring injury. Villa’s Ross Barkley also suffered an injury and was taken off shortly afterwards, disrupting the flow of the first half. By the break, Villa had struggled to make an impact, managing only a single shot.
The second half was a different story, however. Villa began to gain momentum, and their pressure finally paid off in the 71st minute. Amadou Onana equalized with a controversial goal, prodding home from close range after a corner was awarded despite the ball appearing to roll out of play.
Five minutes later, Villa took the lead through Rogers, who slammed home a first-time shot after Ollie Watkins collected a pass from Emi Buendia and squared the ball. Substitute Jacob Ramsey then crashed a shot off the post as Villa looked to seal the win, but the miss proved inconsequential as West Ham failed to mount a comeback.
The victory marked only the second time in nine seasons that Villa has advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup. For West Ham, the defeat was a disappointing start to Potter’s tenure, which began just a day earlier.
