Ukrainian forward Andriy Yarmolenko broke down in tears after scoring the opening goal to help West Ham beat Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League overnight

Yarmolenko was back in the Hammers squad for the first time since being granted compassionate leave due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The striker dropped to his knees with both arms pointing up to the sky as he was mobbed by his teammates after scoring in the 70th minute.

"It was so emotional for me because of the situation in my country," he told Sky Sports after the match.

"I'm not ready 100 per cent because the last few weeks I trained maybe three or four times. I had to rest for four days because it was impossible to train; I was just thinking about my family and my people."

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Yarmolenko had received a standing ovation from both sets of fans as he came on as a 53rd-minute substitute for Michail Antonio.

Pablo Fornals doubled the lead in the 82nd before Jacob Ramsey pulled one back for Villa in injury time.

The win ended a three-game losing streak in all competitions for West Ham and kept David Moyes's team just two points behind Manchester United in the fight for European places. Aston Villa is in ninth place.

Blues grab late winner after dramatic week

Chelsea put aside their off-field turmoil to keep a grip on third place with a 1-0 win over Newcastle United, while Arsenal leapfrogged Manchester United into fourth with a 2-0 victory over Leicester City.

Everton's plummet towards the relegation zone continued as they lost 1-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers but Leeds United gained some respite with a last-gasp 2-1 win over bottom club Norwich City.

Struggling Watford gained a vital three points with a 2-1 away win at Southampton.

Leaders Manchester City, who are three points ahead of Liverpool, are at Crystal Palace on Monday. Liverpool won 2-0 at Brighton on Sunday morning (AEDT).

The 19-year reign of Chelsea's owner and backer Roman Abramovich effectively came to an end this week after the UK government imposed sanctions on the Russian, with the club operating under a special licence.

With the club up for sale and dealing with a series of restrictions on their current operations, it was perhaps not surprising that Chelsea were far from their best against Eddie Howe's improving Newcastle.

But with the match seemingly heading for a draw, Jorginho launched a long pass over the Newcastle defence to Kai Havertz and the German's brilliant control allowed him to fire past Martin Dubravka for his fourth goal in three league games.

Chelsea's German manager Thomas Tuchel said the team had a responsibility to those at the club facing a much more difficult situation than the playing and coaching staff.

"There are a lot of people that I see on a daily basis who are worried and who work for decades. They are not so famous but they are worried for a pretty close future, wonder if things will be alright," he said.

"So for them, it's important to have the attitude right and also to focus on that and see the responsibility and what this means to these people. Even if it's just for 90 minutes.

Reuters/AP