West Ham United marked their return to the Premier League by recording a narrow win over Aston Villa at Upton Park this afternoon.
Following a quiet and disappointing opening 40 minutes, the hosts took the lead courtesy of Kevin Nolan's close-range finish.
The goal was surrounded in controversy, as the assistant referee had raised his flag in the build-up - seemingly for offside against Ricardo Vaz Te.
However, referee Mike Dean correctly gave the goal as the ball had not been touched by the Portuguese.
The defeat was a little harsh on Villa, who went close to levelling the scores in the second half. Ron Vlaar and Darren Bent both headed good chances narrowly wide.
Written by
Robert Summerscales
Robert Summerscales
