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.
