Aston Villa staged a remarkable comeback in the 16th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season, defeating West Ham 3-2 after falling behind, thanks to an own goal and a goal from Morgan Rodgers. Unai Emery expressed his delight at the players' composure and fighting spirit, and hoped they would enjoy the game.

At the start of the match, Matus Fernandes intercepted the ball and scored against Aston Villa, giving West Ham a 1-0 lead. In the 9th minute, Mavropanos scored an own goal, leveling the score at 1-1 for Aston Villa. In the 24th minute, Freddie Potts assisted Bowen to score, putting West Ham ahead 2-1 against Aston Villa again.

In the 50th minute of the second half, Tielemans delivered a cross from the right wing, and Morgan Rodgers met it with a powerful shot to score, leveling the score at 2-2 for Aston Villa. In the 79th minute, Morgan Rodgers received a pass from his teammate and fired a long-range shot into the net, giving Aston Villa a 3-2 lead.

Aston Villa ultimately secured a 3-2 away victory against West Ham. With their sixth consecutive win, Aston Villa currently sit third in the league table with 33 points, three points behind leaders Arsenal.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said, "We struggled, and the start of the season wasn't good, just like this season, but our response was just as excellent as this season. The players are the real protagonists, including how the team finds strength in the tactical structure, ensuring everyone understands and adapts to their roles, and then strives to showcase their abilities."

"After that, we kept the tactical structure solid and played through tactics and discipline. Of course, there's also the mental aspect, like in this game, responding when we were behind. We were behind twice, but how we came back and scored was, I think, fantastic. Because even when we were behind, we maintained our balance and stuck to the plan we had set up before the game."

Emery said, "At halftime, we talked about this in the dressing room, about staying calm and refocusing on the game plan in the second half. It would have been even better if we could have scored as quickly as we did in the second half, and we did."

“Everything we did was excellent, but that’s in the past. We need to rest well, prepare for the home game against Manchester United, and enjoy the process.”

Furthermore, Emery added, "We arrived here a few days after playing our midweek match, but the players responded positively and continued to challenge themselves. As a team, we are learning how to manage every competition and every moment, and strive for the desired results through collective effort."