After a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Monaco in midweek European action, Unai Emery – serving a touchline ban – clearly had his players firing on all cylinders here.
After a full-throttle start, they took the lead just eight minutes in, when a well-worked give-and-go between Ollie Watkins and Jacob Ramsey on the inside left culminated in the latter tucking his strike into the far corner.
The opener was also a moment in Villa history, as it put Watkins level with Gabby Agbonlahor’s record of 100 direct PL goal contributions for the club.
Sensing the chance to go one better against an ailing Hammers backline, Watkins thought he’d moved clear of Agbonlahor moments later, when he laid on a tap-in for Morgan Rogers, only for the goal to be ruled out for an offside in the build-up.
The hosts stayed dominant despite the setback, with Youri Tielemans dragging an effort wide before standing up a free-kick, which Watkins headed wide of the target.
There was a blow for Villa before the break, however, with centre-back Tyrone Mings hobbling off due to a knee injury that left him visibly distraught.
Having seen his side fail to register a shot on target in defeat to Crystal Palace last week, Graham Potter was left disappointed as his side were again unable to trouble the opposition goalkeeper before the break.
They certainly carried more threat after a half-time dressing down though, with Lucas Paquetá firing a presentable chance from close range wide of the target before Carlos Soler’s goalbound effort was blocked by Ezri Konsa.
West Ham were undoubtedly getting closer, and with 10 of the prior 11 H2Hs seeing both teams score, there was a sense of inevitability about the equaliser, which duly arrived on the 70-minute mark, when Edson Álvarez’s cross to the back post was headed into the far corner by Emerson.
The tide had completely turned at a stunned Villa Park, and the hosts were hanging on as West Ham wreaked havoc, particularly in the wide areas. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was tormentor-in-chief, with his cross finding Villa old boy Danny Ings to lash inches wide of the upright.
The closing stages resembled a basketball game as both sides desperately chased a winner, but with neither able to muster the requisite quality, the points were shared.
This was a very disappointing outcome for Villa after such a strong start, especially as they missed the chance to move within a point of the top seven.
Meanwhile, West Ham have put 11 points between themselves and the relegation zone, despite racking up a sixth H2H without a win.