Aston Villa maintained their push for Champions League football next season after thrashing West Ham 4-1 to continue their fine form under manager Unai Emery.
Douglas Luiz’s brace, including a second-half penalty, plus goals from Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey moved them to fifth position in the Premier League.
The Hammers, now five points behind Villa, slipped to just a third defeat of the season after struggling to match the hosts.
Read also Aston Villa vs West Ham: Hammers face tough Villa task
Villa had waited long enough for a victory over the Hammers, their bogey side.
They had recorded just one win in the last 10 years, a 1-0 victory when Villa were already on the slide in 2015 — but under Unai Emery they are a different beast, having earned 10 straight home league wins for the first time in 30 years coming into this match.
Before Emery’s first game in charge, Villa were 16th in the Premier League – one point off the relegation zone. But he steered them to European qualification last season and now they are back within a point of the Champions League places.
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