West Ham United have clawed themselves out of the relegation zone in the Premier League with a point in an action-packed 1-1 draw with Aston Villa at the London Stadium.
David Moyes's side went behind against the run of play as Ollie Watkins headed in his 10th league goal of the season, before Said Benrahma smashed in a spot kick to level the scores before the half-time break.
The Hammers showed the urgency of a team fighting for their lives at the foot of the table in the second half, but they were ultimately unable to earn three points which would have taken them up to 14th in the Premier League standings.
A point on the road for Unai Emery's men leaves them 11th in the table, with their unbeaten run extended to three matches ahead of their final game before the international break next Saturday.
West Ham had the better of the chances in the opening stages, notably with an outswinging free kick from Declan Rice finding centre-back Naif Aguerd, although the Moroccan's mishit shot was not enough to give the Hammers an early lead.
Emery's side were happy with taking the lion's share of possession within their own half for the opening 15 minutes before springing into life on the counter-attack to go ahead, with Alex Moreno's scrumptious cross finding the head of marksman Watkins, who finished past Alphonse Areola.
The former Brentford man has now scored in four-straight Premier League away matches for Villa, with Dwight Yorke being the only other player to achieve the same feat for the Second City outfit.
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The Hammers responded well to going behind in a game that had serious implications at the foot of the table and they threatened to equalise - Lucas Paqueta forced a goal-line clearance from goalscorer Watkins, but the visitors could only hold out the Londoners for so long.
From the scramble that ensued following Watkins's clearance, Leon Bailey was judged to have brought down Brazilian international Paqueta in the box, with a VAR review deciding that Chris Kavanagh's on-field decision was not to be changed.
Benrahma stepped up for the hosts and fired a vicious strike into the top of the net, with the amount of power beating Emiliano Martinez on his 100th appearance for Villa since making the switch from Arsenal in September 2020.
West Ham continued to push for a winner after the half-time break, with their desperation for Premier League maximums being there for all to see - Benrahma's strike forcing a fingertip save out of Martinez.
The Hammers' Algerian had a total of 10 shots during the contest - more than he has ever managed before in a top-flight match - with one of his late efforts being blocked by substitute Ashley Young, who was making his 200th Premier League appearance for Villa.
Next up for the Hammers is the visit of Cypriot outfit AEK Larnaca in their round-of-16 second-leg clash in the Europa Conference League, a game Moyes's men hold a 2-0 advantage in after a professional first-leg performance.
Aston Villa face another side battling to avoid the drop this season in the form of Gary O'Neil's Bournemouth next weekend - the Cherries will be full of confidence following their shock victory over Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Carter White
