U18s: Aston Villa 1-3 West Ham United

Aston Villa fell to a first defeat in six outings at Bodymoor Heath on Saturday lunchtime, losing 3-1 to West Ham United in the Under-18 Premier League. 

Despite Cole Brannigan notching his third goal in two matches, a hat-trick from West Ham’s Elisha Sowunmi sealed the points for the Hammers, ending a run of five-straight victories for Jimmy Shan’s side. 

The Iron went in at the break 1-0 up, before Sowunmi doubled his and his side’s tally from the penalty spot not long after the restart.

Brannigan gave Villa hope, pulling them back within one goal five minutes later, though Sowunmi completed his treble with another spot-kick soon after, to condemn the Young Lions to defeat. 

In a back-and-forth contest which swung from end to end, it was the visitors who registered the first effort on target, as Andre Dike teed up Sowunmi on the edge of the area, but Owen Asemota got down well to hold. 

Just after the half-hour mark, it was the turn of Bradley Burrowes to test the goalkeeper, as he twisted and turned to create room inside the area, but Finley Hooper in the West Ham goal was equal to his effort. Rodrigo Fortes could only steer an effort wide of the post moments later, as Villa grew in confidence. 

But it would be the visitors who broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when, having done well to deny Dike when one on one, Asemota picked up a backpass inside his penalty area, awarding the Iron an indirect free-kick inside the box. Preston Fearon laid the ball off for Sowunmi, who confidently sent the visitors in at the break with the lead. 

The second period began similarly to the first, with both sides carving out opportunities and going close, but it was the away side who grabbed the all-important second goal, doubling their lead 10 minutes after the restart. Emeka Adiele was appended in the area by Woody Burgess, and Sowunmi sent Asemota the wrong way from 12 yards. 

Five minutes later, however, Villa had responded immediately and taken the deficit back down to one goal. The hosts’ high press saw them win the ball back inside the West Ham area from a goal-kick. Burrowes was quickly thwarted by Hooper, but Brannigan made no mistake in following up a brace against Leicester City last weekend by getting himself on the scoresheet again. 

But any momentum the Young Lions had generated from their goal was short lived, as the Hammers were almost immediately awarded a second penalty when Fortes brought Dike to ground inside the area, allowing Sowunmi to convert his 11th goal of the season, and second hat-trick in his past three matches. 

The hosts refused to lie down, and soon after were awarded a penalty of their own, when Brannigan was brought to ground by Hooper, but the visiting goalkeeper redeemed himself to save the Villa goalscorer’s spot-kick. 

Jimmy Shan’s side fought until the end, with a late flurry in an attempt to get something from the game, but they left empty-handed at Bodymoor Heath, as West Ham put their impressive run to an end heading into the international break.