Aston Villa 2 – 1 West Ham

Aston Villa scored two goals in five minutes in the second half to stun West Ham and advance to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory, denying Graham Potter victory in his first match with the Hammers.

Lucas Paqueta scored to give Potter a dream start at Villa Park on his return to the dugout, 20 months after leaving his last job at Chelsea in April 2023 – and having led just one training session for West Ham. After his appointment on Thursday.

But Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers turned the result in favor of the host team, qualifying for the round of 32 in the competition for only the second time in nine seasons.

Paqueta tested the waters in the first 45 seconds with a rocketing shot that came just inches wide, then scored the opener nine minutes later when he connected late to Crescencio Summerville’s pass past Robin Olsen.

But the mood quickly soured somewhat when Niklas Volkrug – who missed 10 Premier League games between September and December with an Achilles problem – went off after tearing his hamstring while charging forward.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Potter said: “I imagine it’s a serious hamstring injury when you pull out like that, so that’s a concern for us.”

Villa’s Ross Barkley was also taken off shortly afterwards, an injury disrupting the flow of a first half in which the home side struggled to make an impact; By the break, they had only mustered one shot.

With more than an hour gone, none of Villa’s shots were on target – but then the pendulum began to swing in their direction.

Shortly after Lukasz Fabianski cleverly blocked a powerful shot from Ian Maatsen, Villa were awarded a corner kick, although Onana’s shot appeared to go straight out of play, and from a set-piece the Belgium international slotted home from close range in the 71st minute. . minute.

Within five minutes, the home side scored again with an efficient move that saw Ollie Watkins collect a pass from Emi Buendia and cross for Rogers to slot home first time.

Substitute Jacob Ramsey then fired a shot that bounced off the post as Villa looked to put the game to a quick end, but the miss mattered little as West Ham were unable to find a way back.

Potter: We’re very disappointed to come out, but we have to cling to the positives

West Ham boss Graham Potter talk on ITV:

“The start of the game was really good, really positive. We had good organization, we were a threat, we held Aston Villa down to not much. The first half was really good.

“In the second half, they came forward and pushed us back a lot. Losing Fulkrug and Summerville affected the attacking part of the game. It was more pressure than big chances.”

“We had to adapt without Somerville, and that affected our attacking game, and we ended up a little deeper. With the ball we couldn’t sustain enough attacks to relieve some of the pressure. But that’s something we’ll look to improve on.”

“I’m not sure if the first goal was a corner kick, it didn’t look like it. It’s one of those things.

“When we were 2-1 down, we regrouped a bit and pressed, and in the end we had some chances.

“The players, over the last two days, have been really good. The preparation was really good in the match and we have to hold on to the positives. It’s the match and the two days. The attitude of the players, the application, the understanding.” The intensity was good.

“Overall, we’re disappointed to go out but there were a lot of positives in the game. The players gave everything, and the young man Uli (Skarlis) was really good, but we’re really disappointed to go out.”

What’s next?

Wycombe sink Pompey to earn a place in the fourth round draw

Wycombe reached the fourth round of the FA Cup for the second time in the past five seasons with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth at Adams Park.

Great play down the left flank by Gideon Kodua saw him beat two players and help Brandon Hanlan finish for the first time after 17 minutes.

Ten minutes later, Wanderers doubled their lead thanks to on-loan Derby defender Sonny Bradley.

Luke Leahy’s stunning free-kick was curled into the box and there Bradley – who played for Pompey during the 2013/14 season – headed home his first goal for the club, just days after signing on loan from Derby.