Steven Gerrard warns Aston Villa not to underestimate struggling West Ham

Steven Gerrard has warned Aston Villa to underestimate West Ham at their peril.

The Hammers are bottom of the Premier League after losing their opening three games.

They go to Villa Park on Sunday but Gerrard is wary of the visitors despite their poor start to the season.

He said: “It will be very difficult if we go into the game complacent or think that West Ham, because they’ve had an indifferent start, are not going to be a tough challenge.

“We’ll certainly respect our opponent and the coaching staff that are coming into town.

“The atmosphere at Villa Park against Everton was superb. We were aggressive and on the front foot, and for 80-odd minutes we found a performance that was good enough to win the game. We showed the resilience to get over the line.

“We need all those ingredients again to try and get the win we need.”

West Ham beat Viborg 3-0 in their Europa Conference League second-leg play-off on Thursday, winning the tie 6-1 on aggregate and Gerrard has been impressed with the job boss David Moyes has done.

“I watched them on Thursday and they certainly didn’t look like a bad team to me. West Ham have done ever so well under the guidance of David Moyes over the last few years,” he said.

“They’ve been up competing at the top end of the league and pushing for those European spots. They’ve had a fantastic run in Europe. I know more than most about European runs, as a player and as a manager, and how difficult it is to get to those latter stages.

“David Moyes and his team have done an incredible job over the last few years. There certainly won’t be any disrespect or wild opinions coming from this direction.

“Having said that, I’m sure he (Moyes) would have wanted a more positive start – a bit like myself. I’m sure he’ll be desperate to take three points at the weekend.

“It’s all to play for. It’s a tough game for both teams, and I’m looking forward to it.”