Welcome back. Graham Potter has spent almost two years out of the game and two hours was enough to remind him exactly what he was missing.
In his first game in charge of West Ham, Potter watched his players perform impressively for an hour before their steam and luck ran out.
A corner that probably should never have been awarded cost Potter's men dearly as Aston Villa celebrated their 150th anniversary by progressing to the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Had he not accepted the Chelsea job in September 2022, Potter could now be sitting in Unai Emery's seat. When Steven Gerrard was struggling, Villa looked closely at Potter, who was then in charge of Brighton. Although the cards were different, few doubt Potter's credentials as a coach and he now has the chance to make up for lost time.
Despite just one training session under Potter, West Ham looked much stronger tactically than they did under Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked earlier this week. Potter's fluid formation left Villa bewildered and after Lucas Paquetá gave the visitors the lead, some home fans booed at half-time.
However, no one at Villa regrets missing out on Potter. Emery has done a fabulous job here and is determined to win his first major trophy since 1996. Although they were poor before the break, Emery found his team's harmony late on and goals from Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers ensure they will be in the knockout. draw.
Graham Potter's West Ham debut ended in an agonizing FA Cup defeat to Aston Villa
Morgan Rogers (right) completed Aston Villa's comeback in front of a raucous crowd.
West Ham were knocked out of the FA Cup when Aston Villa fought back in the second half.
Villa were knocking on the door ever louder as they leveled, although West Ham were aghast at how it played out. Onana's missed shot appeared to go out of play without touching any Hammers players, but somehow a corner was awarded, from which the midfielder equalized. With West Ham reeling, Rogers scored the winner five minutes later and produced a vital block to deny Danny Ings an equalizer in stoppage time.
Rogers was bought on the back of his performance for Middlesbrough against Villa at this stage of the Cup a year ago and has become one of the most exciting players in the country.
Although Villa chose a strong team, they were unable to get going. The visitors' greatest energy was evident in the first minute, when Crysencio Summerville burst down the right wing and found Paquetá in space. The Brazilian took aim from 25 yards and his shot deflected past the post at the last moment, with Robin Olsen beaten.
Olsen replaced Emiliano Martínez, who was ruled out due to a minor injury. Whenever Martínez does not play, Villa gets nervous in defense and fell behind in the ninth minute.
The home team lost form, allowing Mohammed Kudus to send Summerville racing down the right again. When his cutback found Paquetá, he produced a precise shot that missed Olsen and found the bottom corner.
On a freezing afternoon, Hammers striker Niclas Fullkrug limped off less than 15 minutes later. The German, who cost £27million last summer, has already missed three months of the campaign with an Achilles injury and looks set to spend another spell on the sidelines. Shortly after, Villa lost Ross Barkley, who was replaced by Onana.
Emery's team were terrible for 45 minutes. Simple passes went awry and frequently rehearsed moves failed. When Youri Tielemans tossed a five-yard pass to Leon Bailey, Emery buried his face in his hands.
And when Tielemans and Bailey combined successfully, there was no one approaching the far post as the Jamaican's low cross eluded Ollie Watkins. No wonder there were some boos when the half-time whistle blew.
Villa midfielder Amadou Onana (center) sparked the home team's comeback in the 71st minute.
Hammers striker Niclas Fullkrug was forced off after stopping less than 15 minutes later.
Unai Emery saw his team come from behind to claim a victory that extends their stay in the FA Cup.
The Hammers suffered a blow early in the second half when Summerville, who had been excellent before the break, was replaced by Vladimir Coufal. The Dutchman had been holding his hamstring during the closing stages of the first half.
Villa was still in disarray. In the space inside the box, Ian Maatsen was savagely beaten for the first time by a lofted pass from Onana and the traveling fans booed with delight.
However, Maatsen was doing everything he could to turn the tide. When Max Kilman headed his volley and it bounced into the path of Kudus, the Dutchman retreated 70 meters to stop the counterattack. Kilman was there again to block Bailey's shot moments later and Tielemans failed to cleanly hit the loose ball. A missed Ollie Watkins tentatively poked in a low Matty Cash cross as Villa slowly gained momentum.
The impressive Edson Álvarez charged down Tielemans' shot and Lukasz Fabianski was eventually forced to make a save when he parried Maatsen's shot.
Villa finally made their pressure count, although they should never have received the resulting corner, as Onana's shot appeared to go offside without touching a West Ham player. Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa combined to tee up Maatsen and when Fabianski couldn't hold his shot, Onana forced him over the line.
The second arrived five minutes later. Substitute Emi Buendia sent Watkins running into space and Rogers' clever movement gave her space to carry the ball to the near post. Villa's substitutes were running and soon after another, Jacob Ramsey, hit the post from 20 yards. Rogers then made his crucial intervention to prevent Ings taking the tie to extra time and the West Ham striker went wide in the final seconds.