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Slaven Bilic criticises West Ham players after Watford loss

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West Ham manager Slaven Bilic claims he is angry that his side fell to a 4-2 defeat at home to Watford after holding a 2-0 lead

A furious Slaven Bilic criticised his side's defending after West Ham threw away a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 at home to Watford on Saturday.

The Hammers had appeared to be set for all three points after Michail Antonio's two first-half headers, only for Watford to hit back twice just before half-time.

And the visitors recorded their first win of the season after scoring two more times early in the second half, although the West Ham boss was especially angry with how his team played after the break.

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West Ham 2-4 Watford

"We are disappointed and angry," said Bilic after the match. "It started so well for us. For 40 minutes in the first half we were on top of the game, pressing, getting second balls, chances, hurting them behind their defence through the pace of Antonio.

"It was great, we scored two goals and created more chances - they also had chances in the beginning - but after we scored the second goal it was all us. They did not put us under any pressure and then the last five minutes of the first half changed the game a lot."

José Holebas (L) vies with Michail Antonio
Image: Watford's José Holebas (left) vies with West Ham winger Michail Antonio

In particular, Bilic was disappointed with the manner of Watford's second goal that crucially arrived in first-half stoppage time after a terrible mix-up at the back between James Collins and Adrian allowed Troy Deeney to equalise.

"The second one, there were two individual mistakes, two very cheap goals from our point of view," he said. "We still had 45 minutes, but then in the second half we did not play like we did in the first half.

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"In the second half we just continued to defend badly. We gave them too much space in too many dangerous areas and it looked too easy for them from where I was standing.

"And of course the confidence of some players then dropped enormously."

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