English football roundup: West Ham records first points, goal of Premier League season

Here are the highlights from Sunday’s Premier League matches.

Published : Aug 29, 2022 07:39 IST

West Ham United’s Pablo Fornals celebrates scoring the side’s first goal this season.
West Ham United’s Pablo Fornals celebrates scoring the side’s first goal this season. | Photo Credit: ANDREW BOYERS
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West Ham United’s Pablo Fornals celebrates scoring the side’s first goal this season. | Photo Credit: ANDREW BOYERS

West Ham United recorded its first points and first goal of the league season with a victory at Aston Villa.

Pablo Fornals scored the only goal of the game. His deflected second-half strike was enough to see the Hammers open their account for the top-flight campaign after losses to Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Brighton.

The win will ease some of the pressure on West Ham coach David Moyes but increase the tension for counterpart Steven Gerrard, whose side was booed off at full time.

Villa thought it had taken the lead in the 14th minute but Ezri Konsa’s goal was disallowed as Lucas Digne’s corner kick had gone fractionally out of play.

Fornals opened the scoring at Villa Park with 16 minutes remaining. Kurt Zouma brought the ball forward and found captain Declan Rice, who picked out Fornals and the Spaniard’s 25-yard effort deflected off Konsa and looped over Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez .

Unbeaten Magpies

Allan Saint-Maximin’s stunning 90th-minute equalizer saw Newcastle snatch a draw at Wolverhampton, salvaging its unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

Under pressure from Jacob Murphy, Hwang Hee-chan sliced a clearance into the air and it dropped for Saint-Maximin to thump a brilliant volley into the corner from 20 yards.

The Magpies then almost turned the match around completely in stoppage time with Elliot Anderson hitting the crossbar.

Ruben Neves’ first-half screamer had given Wolves the lead.

Newcastle needed Saint-Maximin to produce as Eddie Howe was unable to call on new $70 million signing Alexander Isak, with the Sweden international yet to receive his work permit, while Bruno Guimaraes and Callum Wilson were injured.

The point does little to raise hopes at Molineux with Wolves still looking for the first league win of the season.

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