West Ham United midfielder Joe Cole says three points against Aston Villa is a must.

Cole is ignoring Villa's perilous position near the foot of the Premier League and is expecting a tough test.

"I think Saturday has given us a lift," Cole told whufc.com. "30 points is a big barrier to get to and now we're all looking up. The next game is Aston Villa - we want to improve our away form and it's important that we get a result there.

"In every game there's pressure and it's so difficult to win in this league - every team gives you different kinds of problems. It really is competitive at the moment and we'll just be taking every game as it comes.

"Aston Villa are a young team and you don't know what you're going to get from them really. They have a lot of talent and Benteke is a handful up front. It's going to be a tough game I imagine.

"We need to get some momentum going on the road by getting points on the board."