Credit: Imago

James Barker

Sun 22 March 2026 16:13, UK

Aston Villa ran out 2-0 winners over West Ham United on Sunday, with John McGinn the star of the show, whilst Lucas Digne put in a very solid showing.

Unai Emery’s side have massively boosted their chances of finishing inside the Champions League places this season, taking three points against West Ham at Villa Park.

It also means that Villa’s unwanted four-game winless run in the Premier League is no more, as they followed up their 2-0 win over Lille in the Europa League on Thursday night.

John McGinn gave Villa the lead after 15 minutes with a brilliant left-footed strike from just outside the box, which gave Mads Hermansen no chance in the Hammers’ goal.

Ollie Watkins sealed the win with just under 20 minutes to play, after he latched onto a spilled Morgan Rogers shot before sliding in to slam the ball home for 2-0.

John McGinn was excellent for Aston Villa vs West Ham

McGinn was man of the match against Lille last time out, and the Scotsman put in another one of those performances against West Ham on Sunday afternoon.

The 31-year-old is still working his way back to fitness, as shown by Emery’s decision to withdraw him on 67 minutes, but you wouldn’t know that if you weren’t aware of McGinn’s recent knee problem.

McGinn was at the heart of everything Villa did well in attack, seldom giving the ball away and always posing a playmaking threat to West Ham’s defence.

He’s built a reputation for a screamer during his time at Villa Park, and whilst his goal against West Ham wasn’t his sweetest ever strike, it was certainly deserving of winning any game of football.

A well-worked short free-kick saw Cash play the ball to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box before he rolled the ball to McGinn on the edge of the box, and the Scotsman curled a first-time, left-footed strike into the far corner of the net.

It was a brilliant finish by McGinn, and it was clearly a free-kick routine that was straight from the training ground, and it was executed to perfection.

McGinn will now surely keep his place in the starting XI moving forward after his West Ham display, as his return to action looks set to play a massive part in Villa’s Champions League quest.

Lucas Digne put in a very impressive showing vs West Ham

Another veteran player who put in an eye-catching display on Sunday was experienced defender, Digne.

The 32-year-old has been a divisive figure among Villa supporters this season, with some feeling that he’s now firmly past his best, whilst others feel he’s still more than capable at Premier League level.

His performance against West Ham will’ve certainly strengthened the argument for those in the latter, as the Frenchman was a constant thorn in West Ham’s side.

Digne hit a wonderful left-footed drive from distance early in the game, which had to be tipped round the post by Hermansen to deny what would’ve been a goal of the season contender.

He was strong in both the attacking side and in the defensive aspect of his performance, winning the vast majority of his individual battles and looking every bit of a classy full-back.

Aston Villa player ratings

Emi Martinez – 7

Matty Cash – 6

Ezri Konsa – 7

Pau Torres – 7

Lucas Digne – 8

Amadou Onana – 7

Ross Barkley – 7

John McGinn – 9

Morgan Rogers – 7

Jadon Sancho – 6

Ollie Watkins – 7

Subs

Leon Bailey (for Barkley, 67) – 5

Youri Tielemans (for McGinn, 67) – 6

Douglas Luiz (for Sancho, 67) – 6

Emiliano Buendia (for Rogers, 77) – N/A

Tammy Abraham (for Watkins, 87) – N/A