West Ham v Aston Villa: Premier League – live!

3.36pm EST 15:36

35 min West Ham are playing more like the away team, if such a thing exists in Covid football. They need more from Antonio, who hasn’t been as dynamic as usual on his return from injury.

3.32pm EST 15:32

32 min Masuaku drives a long square pass to his fellow wing-back Coufal, who spanks a shot into orbit from 20 yards.

3.31pm EST 15:31

30 min After a slow start, Villa have been the better side. There’s a slight whiff of scored-too-early about West Ham’s performance.

3.28pm EST 15:28

28 min Grealish had been quiet until that point. I’m not sure what the moral of this particularly story is.

3.26pm EST 15:26

Replays show there was a deflection on Grealish’s shot, but it was still a fine run. He moved infield to receive possession just past the centre circle, turned and ran straight at the West Ham defence. Once he got to within 25 yards of goal, Grealish lashed a shot that took a biggish deflection off Ogbonna and flew into the far corner.

Updated at 3.28pm EST

3.25pm EST 15:25

GOAL! West Ham 1-1 Aston Villa (Grealish 25)

Jack Grealish equalises with a banger!

Jack Grealish fires in the Villa equaliser. Photograph: Neil Hall/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 3.35pm EST

3.23pm EST 15:23

22 min Hourihane’s free-kick is pushed behind by the diving Fabianski. It was a good save, though one he’d expect to make.

3.22pm EST 15:22

21 min Trezeguet is fouled just outside the D by Cresswell, though he thought he got the ball. Grealish, Hourihane and Douglas Luiz are over the ball.

3.19pm EST 15:19

19 min: Chance for Villa Trezeguet’s tame cross-shot deflects behind for a corner. Grealish plays it short to Targett, whose floated cross is headed onto the roof of the net by Konsa. That was a decent chance.

3.18pm EST 15:18

18 min Nothing much is happening. Jack Grealish has barely touched the ball in the first 18 minutes.

3.17pm EST 15:17

17 min “Mr. Hirst, congratulations on a well-deserved win for your boys,” says Mary Waltz. “Being an Everton fan I have nothing but faith to live on, if it was a diet it would be a best seller.”

3.15pm EST 15:15

14 min West Ham look a really well-organised team. Soucek and Rice, in particular, give them great protection in midfield.

3.12pm EST 15:12

12 min West Ham continue to have the better of the game, though there haven’t been any chances since Ogbonna’s goal.

3.09pm EST 15:09

8 min “Oh Mary, ye of little faith,” says Richard Hirst, who might just be a Fulham fan. “I never doubted it (he lied). Just sad I had to follow it on the BBC, not the Guardian.”

3.08pm EST 15:08

7 min Villa’s away record this season has been brilliant, but they’ve started sluggishly tonight.

3.06pm EST 15:06

4 min “Well-placed corner,” says Mary Waltz, “but that was beer-league marking.”

3.03pm EST 15:03

GOAL! West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa (Ogbonna 2)

Bowen’s deep corner is headed in from six yards by Angelo Ogbonna! So simple. It was a towering header from Ogbonna, who had the jump on Matt Targett at the far post. Villa briefly appealed for a foul on Martinez but there was nothing in it.

West Ham’s Angelo Ogbonna heads in the opening goal. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Updated at 3.06pm EST

3.02pm EST 15:02

2 min A long throw from Masuaku rebounds off Antonio and falls kindly for Soucek, whose fierce shot hits Cash and goes behind for a corner. From which…

3.02pm EST 15:02

2 min “Of the FA Cup draw,” says Ian Copestake, “if Marine are in the eighth tier, is anyone allowed within one hundred miles of them?”

Arf, very good.

3.00pm EST 15:00

The players are out on the field. Villa are in their white third kit; you know full well what colours West Ham are wearing.

2.58pm EST 14:58

“Of course no one thought Fulham would win,” says Mary Waltz. “But it is still 2020. So is anyone surprised?”

2.54pm EST 14:54

In case you missed the FA Cup draw, it’s all here.

Marine v Mourinho: FA Cup minnows draw Tottenham in third round

2.47pm EST 14:47

Here’s Paul Doyle’s report on Fulham’s impressive victory at the King Power Stadium

Fulham shock Leicester as Ivan Cavaleiro ends run of penalty failures

Updated at 2.47pm EST

2.33pm EST 14:33

“Evening Rob,” says Chris Drew. “Hope you are keeping well in these times. As a Villa fan, I must say that since that result against Liverpool (who we’ve now just drawn in the third round of the FA Cup), I think it can only be downhill from now on this season. Doomed would be an understatement.”

It wouldn’t really be an understatement to say Villa are doomed, would it? The loss of Barkley is a worry, though.

2.31pm EST 14:31

Leicester City 1-2 Fulham was the final score in the early Premier League game. Who knew? It means that Villa will go fourth if they win tonight, with a game in hand on the teams above them.

2.12pm EST 14:12

Team news

Michail Antonio returns for West Ham, who also have Said Benrahma on the bench. Conor Hourihane replaces the injured Ross Barkley for Villa.

West Ham (3-4-2-1) Fabianski; Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Masuaku; Bowen, Fornals; Antonio.Substitutes: Randolph, Diop, Johnson, Lanzini, Noble, Benrahma, Haller.

Aston Villa (4-2-3-1) Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; Douglas Luiz, McGinn; Trezeguet, Hourihane, Grealish; Watkins.Substitutes: Steer, Taylor, El Mohamady, Nakamba, El Ghazi, Ramsey, Traore.

Referee Peter Bankes.

Updated at 3.15pm EST

10.44am EST 10:44

Preamble

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the claret and blue derby from the London Stadium. A lot has changed since West Ham and Aston Villa last met. Their 1-1 draw on the final day of the season was enough to keep Villa up, by the skin of their teeth, and ensured that West Ham would finish a place above them in 16th. Villa and West Ham were the worst of the rest.

Four months on, this is a mid-table clash. Both teams have made impressive starts to the season, and a win for either side tonight would put them fifth (or maybe fourth in Villa’s case, as Leicester are 2-0 down at home to Fulham). David Moyes and Dean Smith made some really smart summer signings, and Villa in particular look a different side to last season.

One of the main reasons for that, Ross Barkley, is out injured tonight. That’s a big blow to Villa and particularly Jack Grealish, whose burgeoning creative bromance with Barkley has been put on hold. We’ll find out in the next few minutes who his replacement will be.

Kick off 8pm.

Updated at 2.36pm EST