Watford vs West Ham - LIVE!

West Ham returned to winning ways after coming from behind to secure a dominant 4-1 victory over a depleted Watford at Vicarage Road.

David Moyes’ side clinched their first league away victory since October 31 and ended a five-match winless run in all competitions.

Despite having only one full training session in two weeks, Claudio Ranieri’s men started on the front foot, with Emmanuel Dennis giving the home side the lead in only the fourth minute.

However, West Ham’s match fitness and sharpness was evident as they grew into the game, hitting an equaliser in the 27th minute through Tomas Soucek. Two minutes later the visitors had the lead, with Said Benrahma’s effort taking a deflection off Adam Masina and landing in the back of the net.

Mark Noble scored his first Premier League goal since January 2020 when he sent Hornets goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann the wrong way from the penalty spot for the Hammers’ third in the second half.

In added time substitute Nikola Vlasic scored his first club goal for West Ham’s fourth.

Key Points

• GOAL! Vlasic adds a fourth in stoppage time

• GOAL! Noble extends lead from the spot

• DISALLOWED! Bowen strike ruled out

• GOAL! Benrahma scores less than two minutes later

• GOAL! Soucek equalises for West Ham

• GOAL! Dennis gives Watford an early lead

FULL-TIME

16:54 , Matt Verri

Watford 1-4 West Ham

Perfect way to end 2021 for the Hammers, as they get back to winning ways in comfortable fashion.

Soucek, Benrahma, Noble and Vlasic with the goals... Watford looked like a side who had barely trained in more than two weeks.

GOAL! Watford 1-4 West Ham | Nikola Vlasic 90+2

16:50 , Matt Verri

THAT WRAPS IT ALL UP!

Bowen brilliant again, jinks away from the defender and gets to the byline.

Lays it back to Vlasic for a tap in. Caps of a wonderful afternoon’s work from West Ham.

16:48 , Matt Verri

90 mins: Five minutes added on.

Antonio completely free a few yards out, but he hammers it at Bachmann who spreads himself and saves it. Needed to be more composed from there.

16:46 , Matt Verri

88 mins: West Ham fans cheering every pass, they know the job is pretty much done.

Time for one more change from Moyes. Lanzini off, Kral on for his Premier League debut.

16:43 , Matt Verri

86 mins: Vlasic brought on by Moyes, to replace Benrahma.

Watford break with Dennis and he drives into the box. Lays it back to King, but there’s too many West Ham bodies in the way and it runs through to Fabianski.

16:41 , Matt Verri

83 mins: Two corners for Watford, but two corners that come to nothing.

West Ham look well on course to finish 2021 on a high note.

16:39 , Matt Verri

81 mins: Craig Dawson booked for time-wasting. Not sure he really needs to be doing that, considering what Watford have shown.

Johnson off for the Hammers, replaced by Masuaku. Straight swap.

16:37 , Matt Verri

79 mins: Watford look really tired now. They’re able to break into space but the final ball is regularly a weak one.

16:34 , Matt Verri

77 mins: Ball into the box causes West Ham plenty of problems. Pedro flicks it on, Fabianski then doesn’t come to claim and King heads it just wide of the post.

Not convincing from the Hammers at all.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

16:33 , Matt Verri

There were real worries about how the Hammers would cope without Declan Rice today but the Hammers have not really felt his absence at all.

Noble has done a fine job in midfield with neat and tidy play and took his goal well on his first Premier League start of the season.

16:32 , Matt Verri

74 mins: Watford are getting into some decent positions, but the final ball has been dreadful on the whole.

Antonio is then furious as he’s penalised.... he thought he had been fouled. Fair bit of wrestling going on.

16:29 , Matt Verri

72 mins: A sign of life from Watford!

Pedro turns well on the halfway line and the hosts have some rare space to run into. He plays in King, who gets the shot away across goal but Fabianski can comfortably save.

16:26 , Matt Verri

69 mins: Diop back up and he’s fine to continue. Louza then passes it straight out of play for a goal-kick.

This has been a second-half sorely lacking in any real quality or action. That will suit West Ham just fine though.

16:23 , Matt Verri

66 mins: Very similar incident, this time King catching Diop. Free-kick given.

Diop looks in a fair bit of pain, definitely got caught with the elbow.

16:22 , Matt Verri

64 mins: Pedro down and receiving treatment, after Dawson went up for a header and caught him. Painful one.

Still more than 25 minutes to go, but no sign of any comeback from Watford. They’ve been poor today apart from the first few minutes.

16:19 , Matt Verri

62 mins: Sissoko and Dennis have a two-on-one against Johnson... the midfielder makes a complete mess of it.

Tries to slide his teammate in, but it’s straight at Johnson who hits it off Dennis and it rolls behind for a goal-kick.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

16:17 , Matt Verri

After a few weeks of complaints that VAR calls have been going against them, West Ham get one in their favour there and capitalise.

Watford might feel a touch hard done by with the penalty with Bowen making the most of it but the Hammers will say Bowen’s goal should have stood.

GOAL! Watford 1-3 West Ham | Mark Noble 58'

16:15 , Matt Verri

NOBLE MAKES NO MISTAKE!

Sends the goalkeeper the wrong way and rolls it into the opposite corner. West Ham have their two-goal cushion.

PENALTY WEST HAM!

16:14 , Matt Verri

Referee once again over to the monitor.... and he awards the penalty!

Watford can have no complaints with that, Bowen definitely got to the ball first.

16:13 , Matt Verri

56 mins: Bowen screaming for a penalty... referee gives him a corner instead.

The West Ham man was so quick to react as Watford tried to chest it back to the goalkeeper. Bowen looked to have poked it away before getting taken out. VAR taking a long long.

16:11 , Matt Verri

54 mins: Noble fouled on the halfway line, caught late by Sierralta.

Johnson then whips in a cross.... over everyone and behind for a goal-kick. Despite West Ham’s first-half dominance, this match is still right in the balance.

16:09 , Matt Verri

52 mins: Watford looking to take full advantage of that reprieve. Dennis pulls the ball back, and Sissoko’s strike is comfortably saved by Fabianski.

West Ham do not have a third!

16:07 , Matt Verri

Referee checks the monitor, and he decides Dennis was fouled.

Goal disallowed, Watford have a lifeline. It was a foul... correct decision in the end.

GOAL! Watford 1-3 West Ham | Jarrod Bowen 48'

16:06 , Matt Verri

WEST HAM HAVE A THIRD!

Watford had started the half relatively well, but they’ve got a big task ahead of them now.

Dennis loses it on the halfway line and the Hammers break away. Soucek fires a ball across the face of goal, it’s just about deflected away from Antonio... but it falls to Bowen to hammer it in from close range.

VAR checking that Dennis challenge though, to see if it’s a foul.

16:04 , Matt Verri

47 mins: Strong challenge from Diop on Dennis... Watford man isn’t too thrilled about that one.

He then thinks he’s won a corner, but the linesman awards the goal-kick.

16:02 , Matt Verri

Here we go then, players back out for the second-half.

Let’s see if Ranieri has been able to change anything at the break, or whether West Ham will continue to be in control.

Well he’s made a sub... Hernandez off, Pedro on.

15:58 , Matt Verri

West Ham enjoyed 62% of the ball in the first-half, with 10 shots to show for their efforts. Only two of those came in the last 15 minutes though, after they took the lead.

Ranieri’s side were certainly second-best in the first 45 minutes... they look rusty rather than fresh, after their long spell without a match.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

15:48 , Matt Verri

David Moyes would have been fearing the worst after that shambolic start but the response from his side has been fantastic with two very well worked goals and both Noble and Soucek controlling midfield well.

HALF-TIME

15:47 , Matt Verri

Watford 1-2 West Ham

A low-key last 10 minutes of the half, but before that it was full of action. Dennis gave Watford an early lead, but the Hammers turned that around in the space of two minutes thanks to Soucek and Benrahma.

15:46 , Matt Verri

45 mins: Two minutes added on at the end of the first-half.

Hernandes has space for Watford and lets fly with a curling effort... high and wide.

15:43 , Matt Verri

42 mins: King should do much better on the left, but his cross into the box is a low one straight at Dawson. Easily cleared.

Watford starting to push higher up the pitch... and West Ham are now sitting deeper. Haven’t seen the likes of Benrahma and Antonio get on the ball much since the visitors took the lead.

15:41 , Matt Verri

40 mins: Louza on for Watford, replacing the injured Femenia.

After a wonderful start inside the opening five minutes, not much has gone well since that point.

15:40 , Matt Verri

39 mins: Neither side creating much for now. West Ham happy to have taken the lead, and you suspect Watford will be content just to get to half-time and regroup after that disastrous couple of minutes.

15:37 , Matt Verri

36 mins: Dawson gives away a free-kick as King tries to burst past him, but it comes to nothing. Visitors continuing to dominate possession, even after taking the lead.

How the Hammers took the lead

15:34 , Matt Verri

15:33 , Matt Verri

33 mins: Game slightly slowed down a bit after a breathless passage. Watford sat back after their goal, but they’ll need to come out again now.

They look a bit stunned at the moment, as you’d expect.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

15:31 , Matt Verri

Two goals in as many minutes and you can’t argue that West Ham don’t deserve them. They’ve been solid since going behind and controlled the game. Two in two for Benrahma, the sort of consistency Moyes has been demanding.

GOAL! Watford 1-2 West Ham | Said Benrahma 29'

15:29 , Matt Verri

AND NOW THEY LEAD!

Watford falling apart at the back. Antonio picks it up on the left and drives into the box. Perfect cutback into the path of Benrahma and he makes no mistake.

Two goals in two minutes!

GOAL! Watford 1-1 West Ham | Tomas Soucek 27'

15:27 , Matt Verri

WEST HAM GET A DESERVED EQUALISER!

Sustained pressure from the visitors, and it ends with a lovely goal. Coufal and Bowen combine, and the winger then looks up and plays the ball into the path of Soucek.

The midfielder makes a great run and it fires it into the net at the near post. Great move, great finish.

15:25 , Matt Verri

25 mins: Watford enjoying their best spell since taking the lead. Dennis has space on the right but his cross is too deep, and it’s beyond King.

15:23 , Matt Verri

22 mins: Coufal gets forward again, and it’s yet another corner for West Ham. Bowen to take again, Sissoko to head it away again.

Watford look to break and Hernandez should do better, but his pass to Dennis has no pace on it and it’s intercepted.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

15:21 , Matt Verri

With Rice suspended Soucek is playing further forward here today and looks far better for it. The Czech hasn’t looked the same player as last season so far this campaign but has been dangerous so far today.

15:20 , Matt Verri

19 mins: Good feet from Lanzini and he plays it into Antonio. The striker holds it up and wins the free-kick... Watford defence getting really tight to him every time he gets the ball.

Benrahma earns a corner for his side, West Ham’s third of the match.

15:17 , Matt Verri

17 mins: The visitors have had all the possession since the goal.

Coufal tries to slide Bowen in behind, but Dennis has tracked back really well and he gets his body in the way, seeing it out for a goal-kick.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

15:15 , Matt Verri

West Ham have responded well to that poor start, creating a few openings at the other end of the pitch, Benrahma’s shot against the bar the closest they have come.

The Algerian scored against Southampton on Boxing Day but could do with impressing here after a string of poor performances.

15:14 , Matt Verri

14 mins: West Ham are piling on the pressure. Coufal with a deep ball into the box, which falls to Benrahma. Chests it down, Bowen’s shot is blocked.

Drops to Antonio, and the Watford defence come flying across to block his effort too.

15:12 , Matt Verri

11 mins: Antonio wins a free-kick on the right wing, good position this for West Ham. Bowen whips it in, but Sissoko is there in the six-yard box to head it behind for a corner. Well defended.

Sissoko is there again to head away the corner.

15:10 , Matt Verri

10 mins: Benrahma hammers a shot against the bar!

What a strike. Lovely first touch takes him inside, and he catches the shot so sweetly. Rockets towards the far corner but it smashes off the bar.

15:08 , Matt Verri

8 mins: Soucek has a shot which he miskicks... falls to Bowen and his effort is also a weak one.

Game is really open in the early stages - got to think there will be more goals in this one.

Jack Rosser at Vicarage Road

15:06 , Matt Verri

Another slow and sloppy start from West Ham. They lose the ball from their own throw and no one is brave enough to deal with Watford before Dennis skips past Dawson and scores. More shabby defending.

GOAL! Watford 1-0 West Ham | Emmanuel Dennis 5'

15:05 , Matt Verri

WATFORD TAKE THE LEAD!

Josh King has so much space 20 yards out, and he slides it into Dennis in the box.

Cuts inside onto his left foot, sits Dawson down, and then fires it into the top corner by Fabianski. Stunning finish.

15:02 , Matt Verri

2 mins: Good start from West Ham, Antonio doing well to find space on the left wing.

Ball comes into the box, but first Bowen and then Benrahma are crowded out before they can get a shot away.

KICK-OFF!

15:00 , Matt Verri

We are underway at Vicarage Road!

14:58 , Matt Verri

Players out onto the pitch.... first time the Watford fans have seen their side walk out at Vicarage Road since December 4.

They’ve had a long time away from the action. How will it affect Claudio Ranieri’s side?

Our man Jack Rosser is in position at Vicarage Road...

14:49 , Malik Ouzia

The absent Declan Rice is watching on...

14:40 , Malik Ouzia

Johnson, Noble, Antonio come in

14:30 , Malik Ouzia

West Ham, meanwhile, make four changes, including the suspended Declan Rice. Arthur Masuaku, Nikola Vlasic and Pablo Fornals are also not in David Moyes’ team.

Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio, Ben Johnson and Mark Noble are the quartet that come into the starting XI.

Three changes for Watford

14:17 , Malik Ouzia

Watford have made three changes from the last time they played in a 2-1 defeat at Brentford on December 10.

William Troost-Ekong, Jeremy Ngakia and Tom Cleverley drop out of the matchday squad, with the former Manchester United midfielder sidelined with a minor hamstring strain.

Claudio Ranieri calls up Vincent Angelini and Kamil Conteh to the first-team squad for the first time as the Hornets continue to deal with Covid absences after a lengthy spell without matches.

Watford team news

14:05 , Malik Ouzia

Watford XI: Bachmann, Femenía, Cathcart, Sierralta, Masina, Cucho Hernández, King, Sissoko, Kucka, Tufan, Dennis

Subs: Angelini, Morris, João Pedro, Louza, Gosling, Conteh, Fletcher, Sema

West Ham team news

14:02 , Malik Ouzia

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Johnson, Noble, Soucek, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio

Subs: Areola, Ashby, Fredeicks, Masuaku, Alese, Kral, Vlasic, Okoflex, Yarmolenko

13:50 , Malik Ouzia

And we’ll have all the confirmed team news from Vicarage Road in about ten minutes’ time...

Standard Sport prediction

13:41 , Malik Ouzia

It promises to be a tricky afternoon for West Ham, against a Watford team that are well-rested after having a number of matches postponed.

Ranieri’s side ran Chelsea and Man City close at home earlier in December, and will be confident of testing West Ham who are far from their best at the moment and will be without the midfield presence of Rice.

Draw, 1-1

West Ham team news

13:29 , Malik Ouzia

David Moyes will be without Declan Rice, in what is a big blow to the Hammers as they look to regain some form. The England midfielder was booked on Boxing Day against Southampton and misses out through suspension.

Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna are still out long-term, while there is still no certain return date for Aaron Cresswell. Michail Antonio is expected to return to the starting lineup.

Watford team news

13:19 , Malik Ouzia

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Watford team, who have not played since December 10 due to a number of positive Covid cases. The club have not confirmed which players will be available.

Ben Foster (groin), Ismaila Sarr (knee), Christian Kabasele (calf), Peter Etebo (quad) and Nicolas Nkoulou (hamstring) are all still out with injury.

How to watch

13:08 , Malik Ouzia

TV channel: Today’s game will be broadcast on the Amazon Prime streaming service.

Live stream: Amazon Prime subscribers will be able to watch the game through the Amazon Prime App.

Good afternoon!

13:00 , Malik Ouzia

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of this afternoon’s Premier League clash between Watford and West Ham.

We’ll have all the build-up and team news ahead of a 3pm kick-off...