But in the end it proved academic for Martin O'Neill's side, who must now get into Europe that hard way - via the Intertoto Cup - after Everton beat Newcastle United to cement fifth spot.
Despite last weekend's damaging defeat to Wigan Athletic, Villa came into this game still hopeful of UEFA Cup qualification and O'Neill named an unchanged side as his side looked for the win double of first league victory at Upton Park in nine visits and a Newcastle success at Goodison Park.
Certainly they wasted no time showing that they were determined to carry out their part of the deal when Young rattled Robert Green's post inside the opening three minutes.
Alan Curbishley had made two switches to the side that had lost so emphatically at Manchester United last Saturday as fit-again Anton Ferdinand and former Villain Solano replaced substitutes John Paintsil and Hayden Mullins.
With eight minutes on the clock, that man Solano broke the deadlock with a fantastic 18-yard free-kick that flew over the Villa wall and scorched the left palm of the diving Scott Carson to give the Hammers the lead.
The East End excitement did not last long, though, and on 14 minutes, Nigel Reo-Coker embarked on another foray deep into home territory before squaring to Young, who sent a clever, low 15-yarder across the face of Green and into the far corner to claim his ninth goal of the season.
Now it was anybody's game as the sliding John Carew screwed the ball wide under the pressure from George McCartney, before Gabby Agbonlahor drilled a shot just wide, while at the other end, Solano, Mark Noble, Luis Boa Morte and Bobby Zamora each threatened.
With Newcastle now drawing at Everton, Villa's hopes of European qualification still flickered and with heavily heckled Reo-Coker putting on a man of the match performance against his old club, while the pace of Young and Agbonlahor began to cause the West Ham defence all sorts of distress.
Green showed why he had been voted the fans' player of the year with a brilliant smothering save that denied Carew, who then saw his downward header hacked off the line by Noble before Barry then drilled across the face of goal.
As the hour-mark approached, Green pulled off another outstanding stop to deny the rampaging Reo-Coker only for the supporting Barry to drill the loose ball into the unguarded goal and give the visiting supporters real hope with his ninth goal of the campaign.
In reply, Ashton had a header nodded off the line by Stiliyan Petrov and then the soaring Zamora sent a powerful header crashing back off the beaten keeper's crossbar.
With the seconds ticking down on the season, Curbishley went for broke with the introduction of ex-Villa striker Carlton Cole and teenager Freddie Sears into a treble-chance attack.
And the Hammers boss got the score draw he was looking for when leading marksman Ashton collected the ball on the 18-yard line before bagging his 11th goal of the campaign with an unstoppable shot that left Villa still looking for their first win in the capital since they beat Curbishley's Charlton Athletic at The Valley in March 2004.