Aston Villa came back down to Earth with a bump after their winning run was brought to an end by West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
Andriy Yarmolenko and Pablo Fornals scored two second-half goals before Jacob Ramsey notched a consolation for Villa as the clock struck 90 minutes.
It was an evenly contested match for the majority with little to nothing separating the two teams in terms of quality.
Whilst the result was ultimately a disappointing one for Villa, the positive signs were aplenty when you take into consideration the strength of the opposition.
The Hammers are at a level that Steven Gerrard wants to take this Villa side to, competing regularly on the European stage. He noted this prior to the game as a ‘long-term goal’ for the claret & blue but on Sunday’s showing, it’s one that could prove to be a reality much sooner than that.
All isn’t lost in defeat and with that said, here’s our player ratings from the London Stadium.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell (57’ Fredericks); Soucek, Rice; Fornals, Lanzini, Benrahma (87’ Diop); Antonio (52’ Yarmolenko)
Subs not used: Masuaku, Kral, Perkins, Areola, Noble, Oko-Flex
Aston Villa (4-1-2-1-2): Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne (10’ Young); Luiz (79’ Buendia); McGinn, Ramsey; Coutinho; Ings (69’ Bailey), Watkins
Subs not used: Konsa, Olsen, Sanson, Chukwuemeka, Iroegbunam, Traore
5. Lucas Digne - N/A
Lasted 10 minutes before being forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury. Really hope it’s not too serious. Photo: James Gill
6. Jacob Ramsey - 8*
Great to see the young midfielder back on the score-sheet with a really well taken goal. Deserved it after a tough few weeks.
7. Douglas Luiz - 6
A good first half from Dougie but faded badly in the second-half and struggled to grab any authority on the game. | Getty Images
8. John McGinn - 6
Like Luiz, was part of a midfield that struggled to get any real hold of the game. West Ham won the battle in there today. | Getty Images