Graham Potter Asserts West Ham Deserved More From Their Draw Against Aston Villa

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West Ham's manager, Graham Potter, expressed satisfaction with his team's performance in their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa. Despite trailing early due to Jacob Ramsey's goal, West Ham equalised with Emerson's header. They nearly clinched a win when Danny Ings narrowly missed and Lucas Paqueta's goal was disallowed for offside. This match marked the first time since October 2022 that a Potter-led team avoided defeat after conceding first in a Premier League game.

Potter was pleased with his team's display, especially considering his previous nine matches ended in losses when conceding first. "I think the performance maybe deserved more. We played well after the first 15 minutes," he told BBC Match of the Day. He highlighted the aggressive play of his wing-backs and noted that this was their first full training week together. Injuries to key players like Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio led to Paqueta playing as a false nine, which proved effective.

Lucas Paqueta stood out despite not scoring, winning 11 duels and taking more shots than any teammate. Only Mohammed Kudus and Tomas Soucek had more touches in the opposition box than Paqueta. "He [Paqueta] was a real handful. You can play into him because he's so strong," Potter remarked, praising his performance.

Aston Villa struggled in the second half, losing 1.39-0.79 in expected goals (xG) statistics despite leading at halftime. They managed just six shots compared to West Ham's nine after the break. Villa has now failed to win four out of 11 games where they scored first this season, more than last season's record.

Unai Emery acknowledged his team's fatigue following their Champions League commitments and stressed the need to regain energy before facing Celtic on Wednesday. "We started the second part of the season with two wins and two draws," Emery said, emphasising their ambition for improvement.

Emery also mentioned challenges like Tyrone Mings' injury, which left them without a proper centre-back. Mings suffered a knee injury during his 11th appearance after returning from a long lay-off. "I don't know," Emery said about Mings' condition, hoping for better news after further tests.

Despite these setbacks, both teams remain focused on improving their performances as they navigate their respective competitions and aim for success in upcoming matches.