West Ham earned a 3-1 win over Villa on Wednesday night.
West Ham earned a strong 3-1 win over Championship giants Aston Villa on Wednesday night at Walsall’s Bescot Stadium – and some Hammers fans were excited by new signing Fabian Balbuena’s efforts at the back.
West Ham took the lead through a determined Michail Antonio, who bundled his way into the box before firing home. A lovely ball from club-record signing Felipe Anderson then set up West Ham’s second.
The Brazilian threaded through a pass to find Arthur Masuaku, who drove into the box before squaring to Marko Arnautovic and he tucked the ball home. Robert Snodgrass scored late on against his old side, with a well-composed finish.
Villa did get one back through youngster Andre Green with a thunderbolt from the edge of the area, but the 3-1 win was a well-polished display from the Hammers.
Five of West Ham’s seven new signings featured throughout the match, with Anderson, Balbuena and Jack Wilshere starting before Issa Diop and Ryan Fredericks entered the fray. Andriy Yarmolenko and Lukasz Fabianski missed out.
New signing Balbuena, 26, who joined the club from Brazilian giants Corinthians, started the match and was taken off at half-time by Manuel Pellegrini. But he has excited fans with his 45-minute display.
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