Jordan Ayew has apologised to Aston Villa for his red card in Tuesday's defeat at West Ham United.

The 24-year-old Ghanaian forward was given his marching orders for a rash elbow on Hammers full-back Aaron Cresswell in the 17th minute of the Upton Park clash.

Ayew's dismissal forced Remi Garde to put numbers behind the ball but in the end, West Ham found a way through and defeated the bottom-placed Villans 2-0.

In the wake of his red card, Ayew posted a message on his Instagram account, apologising for his actions.

"Looking back at my impulsive actions last night I sincerely apologise to the supporters of Aston Villa, my teammates, AVFC staff and my coach," Ayew wrote.

"I take full responsibility for my actions. I don't wish to dwell on my mistake but rather look forward to playing again to prove myself to be true to claret and blue, as I have done from the moment I joined AVFC. I do not intend to slow down now.

"To my fans and everyone I offended, I ask that you join me in moving on from this unfortunate situation as I continue to focus on my career and the success of the team.

"We fight till the end. Up The Villa!"

Ayew is Villa's leading scorer this season with five of their 18 Premier League goals thus far.