Jesse Lingard fires double on West Ham debut

West Ham United's Jesse Lingard celebrates scoring their side's third goal of the game.

Premier League: Aston Villa 1 West Ham United 3

Jesse Lingard celebrated his West Ham United debut with two stunning goals to inspire his new club back to winning ways.

The 28-year-old midfielder, on loan from Manchester United, made it 2-0 then 3-1 to give the Hammers a deserved victory over fellow European challengers Aston Villa.

Making his first Premier League start in 398 days, Lingard’s first strike since July 26 — his last league game for United — swiftly followed Tomas Soucek’s eighth goal of the season before the England international turned on the style with another.

“It has been a long time, I have come here to get game time and scored two goals but like I said, three points is the most important,” said Lingard.

West Ham manager David Moyes had suggested people might need to be patient with Lingard as he gets up to speed. It’s reasonable to suggest he might have got through his debut on adrenalin, but if this is a portent of what is to come, then Lingard might just be playing himself into the best form of his career and fulfilling his considerable potential.

Rather than showing any signs of ring rustiness, Lingard dazzled and looked as if he had a point to prove.

But he wasn’t alone in impressing, and, on this form, England boss Gareth Southgate might also want to have a look at Michail Antonio, who helped set up all three Hammers goals.

Antonio had the first chance when he struck a bouncing shot straight at goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Martinez was certainly the busier keeper at this point.

First he parried a dipping, 25-yard effort from Lingard after the midfielder cut inside, then held a rising drive from similar range from Said Benrahma.

Having been pinned back by the visitors, Villa had to wait until midway through the first half before they threatened.

When it came, Ollie Watkins, could only plant a firm header over the bar from close range. But Villa came closes again when Watkins’s angled shot hit the outside of the post after Jack Grealish dispossessed Craig Dawson.

West Ham however were quick to return fire as Soucek curled a whisker wide.

Along with striker Antonio, the midfielder did as much as anyone to show West Ham were back at it after their six-match winning run in all competitions was halted by Liverpool’s 3-1 victory against them on Sunday.

Into the second half, Antonio went on to drag a shot wide with the outside of his right foot, but he was to play a key role as provider rather than scorer.

The burly forward held up play to find Benrahma, who put through Soucek for a thumping angled finish across Martinez for his eighth goal of the season in the 51st minute.

Then Antonio crossed for Lingard to hit an angled left-foot volley into the bottom corner on 56 minutes as West Ham hit Villa on the break.

Villa’s pulled one back following a sweet pass from Grealish into space for Watkins to steer past Lukasz Fabianski in the 81st minute.

Lingard however restored West Ham’s two-goal cushion with a right-foot angled finish that went through Martinez after Antonio squared on 83.

ASTON VILLA (4-2-3-1): Martínez 5; Cash 6, Konsa 6, Mings 5, Targett 6; Douglas Luiz 5 (Sanson 80 mins, 6), McGinn 6; El Ghazi 5 (Traoré 46 mins, 6), Barkley 6 (Trézéguet 80 mins, 6), Grealish 7; Watkins 8.

WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 7; Coufal 8, Dawson 7, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Soucek 8, Rice 7; Fredericks 7 (Fornals, 84 mins, 6), Lingard 9 (Bowen 90+1 mins, 6), Benrahma 8 (Johnson 88 mins, 6); Antonio 9.

Referee: Andy Madley 7