Kevin MacDonald was left to take charge after Martin O'Neill left as manager earlier in the week but Villa put all that disruption behind them with a commanding performance.
Ashley Young and Marc Albrighton ripped the hapless Hammers to shreds, goalscorer Stewart Downing was named man of the match and Villa were unfortunate not to have won by double the scoreline. James Milner and Stiliyan Petrov were also on target.