Monday Night Football gave us a goalless draw at Villa Park, however, it was far from a dull affair. 

If there was going to be an opening in the first half it was  Aston Villa who looked the likeliest, in the latter stages. Chances from Brazilian forward Wesley and  Super John Mcginn were missed. Villa continued to have chances in the second half but it just wasn’t meant to be.  

West Ham’s  Sébastien Haller wasn’t up to his usual standards as he struggled to get the service. No side had any clear cut chances, but The Hammers did look a threat on the counter - that’s one thing Villa were cautious about. West Ham suffered a blow in the final 20 minutes as French full-back, Arthur Masuaku picked up a second yellow card - they were down to ten men. 

Villa sloppy in final third

Despite Villa having many chances throughout the game, their irresponsible passing is what cost them from picking up all three points. Villa have made many mistakes while adapting to life in the Premier League, yesterday's passing being one of them. It’s something Dean Smith will want to fine-tune ahead of their trip to the Emirates on Sunday.  

Dean Smith must be bolder

The first Villa change came inside 66 minutes as Ahmed Elmohamady replaced Spanish winger Jota, however, it was a peculiar addition by Smith - it certainly didn't get the pulses racing. Continuing with the topic of peculiarity, Smith brought on Douglas Luiz in replace of Premier League debutant Marvelous Nakamba. Usually Smith likes to attack from start to finish, but you got the sense that he was too defensively minded as the game went on. Other options Smith had from the subs bench were Conor Hourihane and Henri Lansbury, definitely more attacking threats, these two have made an impact in previous games and could have made the difference on Monday night. 

Skipper Jack Grealish felt they got “worse” when given the numerical advantage

When speaking to BBC Sport, the Birmingham based lad felt they "tried to rush things and force things and gave the ball away."  When given the extra man West Ham looked like the team with the advantage. If the new boys want to be picking up points they have to be taking advantage of things like that. 

A "heat of the moment" altercation between Tyrone Mings and Anwar El Ghazi. 

A big talking point in the game was the clash of heads between Aston Villa teammates Anwar El Ghazi and Tyrone Mings. It is thought Mings was unhappy with The Dutchmans tracking back, nevertheless, that shouldn't be happening on a football pitch! Despite a misunderstanding between the two professionals, Jack Grealish informed BBC Sport that the matter "was put to bed and they shook hands." Smith also commented on the incident when talking to  BBC Sport by saying "That's a heat-of-the-moment thing." 

To conclude Villa huffed and puffed but it wasn't meant to be. As for West Ham they weren't clinical in front of goal.