West Ham 3-1 Watford: Mark Noble nets twice from the spot and Andy Carroll

 

Even the great wall of Heurelho Gomes could not stop West Ham. Four

days after Watford’s goalkeeper stopped a pair of penalties from Saido Berahino, he faced another two from Mark Noble and was twice left face down in the dirt and beaten.

With those strikes added to Andy Carroll’s customary contribution, West Ham are once again blowing bubbles, instead of opportunities.

The previous four games had seen four collapses, with eight points dropped from winning positions and the spread of a suspicion that their thrilling run at the Champions League places would end in a trip. 

Of course, draws against Leicester, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Arsenal were not to be sniffed at, but considering how close they are to fourth place, those conceded points could yet prove expensive.

This, then, was a good time to wake up. And what an excellent performance it was against a side with bigger items on their agenda. Slaven Bilic celebrated the team but this was heavily down to the unique gifts of certain individuals.

Carroll has scored six goals in his last six games and he demonstrated once again what a rare threat he offers. For all the England strikers in form, there remains a gap in the market for big men who know how to smash and how to grab. 

Here he floated and stabbed, giving West Ham the lead early in the first half before Noble’s penalties either side of the break knocked Watford out of the park.

In between the goals, there was Dimitri Payet pulling strings and looking once more like the most exciting talent in the division. He and Carroll have stylistic differences, but together are the kind of blend that can drive a suave manager like Quique Sanchez Flores to lose his mind.

Watford’s boss was left to wave and pout and scream and shout as this game got away from his side. Sportsmail revealed yesterday that he might yet lose his job despite his impressive season and this performance will not have helped any cynics in the club’s hierarchy, even if their priority is the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Sunday.