BOWEN DEFLECTION HELPS WEST HAM SURVIVE CAT CALLS
West Ham 1 Watford 0
The dominating pre-match question was would West Ham play Kurt Zouma? Rumours abounded that he had asked to be left out following a much-watched video of him on social media leaving a little to be desired from his cat-loving skills. Moyes said it was his job to pick his best team, and so that was what he did.
Or so it looked on paper. Michail Antonio was clearly suffering with Long Jet Lag, and Joshua King proved himself more than able to outrun Zouma, Cresswell and Dawson in any combination whenever he collected the ball out on the left. The New Watford however, under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson, proved a little thin in the finishing department, which proved a relief to Hammers’ ailing and flat-footed defence. Even Rice appeared to have lost his innate compass which would ordinarily ensure he pushed forward whenever he collected the ball rather than sideways or even, on too many occasions, backwards.
The match winner when it comes in the second half, is as underwhelming as the majority of the game. Underwhelming, but decisive. The game has just over twenty minutes left when Lanzini feeds Bowen, who collects the ball from just beyond the centre circle, accelerates, then hits a hopeful shot from outside the area which clips the boot of Brazilian defender Samir before heading beyond Foster into the Watford net.
Hammers now take over the game, but somehow fail to secure the victory with a second goal. No matter. One will do. On this showing, Roy Hodgson may have to return to Sunday walks down the towpath at Richmond after the end of this season.
1 Lucasz Fabianski, 3 Aaron Cresswell, 4 Kurt Zouma, 5 Vladimir Coufal, 41 Declan Rice (c), 15 Craig Dawson, 8 Pablo Fornals, 22 Saïd Benrahma, 28 Tomas Souček, 9 Michail Antonio, 20 Jarrod Bowen
Substitutes: 10 Manuel Lanzini
Goalscorer: Jarrod Bowen
