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Watford vs West Ham United; Sky Bet Championship

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Watford vs West Ham United. Sky Bet Championship.

Vicarage Road.

Watford 1

  • A Nabizada (19th minute)

West Ham United 1

  • M Pollock (27th minute own goal)

Watford 1-1 West Ham: Mattie Pollock own goal earns point for Hammers

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Watford and West Ham United at Vicarage Road on Saturday; Hammers underwhelming start to the season continues as they are held to a goalless draw by the Hornets.

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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Watford and West Ham.

Nuno Espirito Santo is still waiting for West Ham's first League win after they were held to a gritty 1-1 draw in front of Vicarage Road's biggest crowd for six years.

The Hammers were booed off by a large section of their travelling support, who serenaded their under-pressure manager with a chorus of 'You're getting sacked in the morning' despite a dominant second-half display.

The Hammers are struggling to live up to their billing as Championship promotion favourites after letting a two-goal lead slip at Burnley and a shock home defeat by Charlton.

Here they fell behind to a brilliant goal from Watford's 19-year-old prospect Amin Nabizada and West Ham needed a freakish equaliser, from a dreadful mistake, to earn a point.

Nuno handed a League debut to 18-year-old defender Airidas Golambeckis, who was composed and assured.

But the Hammers had already survived Nabizada curling narrowly wide when the Hornets went in front after 19 minutes in spectacular fashion.

The Afghanistan international appeared to be crowded out in the box but he summoned the impudence to dink an exquisite, curling chip beyond Mads Hermansen and into the far corner.

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It was a goal reminiscent of Gerard Deulofeu's trick shot at Wembley in the Hornets' FA Cup semi-final comeback against Wolves seven years ago, and West Ham were briefly rattled.

But when the East-enders rattled the collection tin, Hornets defender Kevin Keben gave generously.

Trying to shepherd the ball along the dead-ball line towards his own goal, Keben was robbed by Taty Castellanos and home skipper Mattie Pollock turned the ball into his own net from point-blank range.

The comical nature of the equaliser drained the early swagger from Watford and Keben's confidence evaporated for a time, although he did well to recover his composure later.

As West Ham warmed to their task after the interval, Arne Engels fired narrowly wide and only Pollock's last-ditch tackle thwarted Manor Solomon.

Much as they were on top, however, the Hammers still lived on their nerves and only Joel Veltman's critical deflection over the top denied Iker Bravo a late winner on a rare Hornets breakaway.

And much as Watford were forced back for most of the second half, they deserved their point to preserve head coach Alessio Dionisi's unbeaten start in the Championship.

Dionisi has been operating with such slender resources that he named two goalkeepers on the bench. He was well satisfied with the response to his weakened side's 5-1 hammering by league One Peterborough in the Carabao Cup in midweek.

The managers

Watford's Alessio Dionisi:

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West Ham's Nuno:

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What the result means and next fixtures...

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