By Andrew Cawthorne BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuters) -Aston Villa missed a chance to close in on the Premier League's top four on Sunday in a 1-1 draw at home to West Ham United whose Brazilian left back Emerson rescued a point after Jacob Ramsey had got the hosts off to a dream start.

Unai Emery was adamant that playing between two Champions League games would never affect his team’s intensity, although there is clearly a good time to catch Aston Villa this season. They have now failed to win in the last six matches after playing in Europe.

After his six against Aston Villa, Mohamed Kudus has now completed five or more dribbles on 20 occasions for West Ham in the Premier League. Since joining the club at the start of last season, he has done so in more different matches than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.