Daily Mirror - 26.08.2019

26.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR

mirror.co.uk/sport/football^9

DM1ST

IN ASSOCIATION

WITH

WATFORD 1

Gray 17

WEST HAM 3

Noble 3 pen, Haller 64, 73

FLIP SIDE

Haller scores his

second and West

Ham’s third goal

the introduction of Michail

Antonio’s energy after the

break. Haller converted Felipe

Anderson’s low cross and then

netted with an acrobatic over-

head kick after Ben Foster

parried an Antonio header.

Last season Watford won

their first four Premier League

matches as Javier Gracia

scooped the August Manger of

the Month Award while

Pellegrini lost his first four in

charge of the Hammers.

But they now have Haller and

Antonio said: “He is a big,

strong guy – and he is going to

get goals. You can see it.

“Everyone is seeing why he is

worth the price tag.”

settled off the pitch. “It is not

always easy to move to another

country with a lot of things to

do, to set up an apartment with

a pregnant woman, my wife

Priscilla,” he added.

“But the club have been great

and it makes a difference.”

West Ham weren’t great at

Vicarage Road – the defence

was far too open – but matches

under Manuel Pellegrini

promise to be entertaining.

Mark Noble celebrated his

15th anniversary at the club by

slotting home an early penalty

after Abdoulaye Doucoure had

brought down Manuel Lanzini

before Gray equalised.

But the game changed with

their first win and for Haller

who netted his first goals since

his record-breaking transfer.

“In football that there is

always pressure,” said the

Parisien. “Sometimes there is

pressure because of a big

transfer, sometimes it is if I am

going to play or have a contract.

“It is good pressure because

they have bought me for a lot of

money. It is always nice to see

that the club wants you and

spends that kind of money. It

means a lot to me.”

Haller, who speaks perfect

English yet with a Dutch accent

after his two years at FC

Utrecht, also gave an insight

into the importance of being

had 23 shots but after Andre

Gray scored their first of the

season, they could not add to it.

And Frenchman Haller, who

scored 20 for Eintracht

Frankfurt last season, insisted

his best is yet to come.

“It was a terrible game for me

but in the end it was two goals

• that is the job of the striker,”
  said Haller.
  “Sometimes it is not easy to
  judge someone when he doesn’t
  score but plays a good game.
  This was the opposite. I am just
  happy I helped the team win.
  “It is the best feeling ever to
  come to a new club and score
  goals like this.” There was
  double relief for West Ham with

I WASN’T HEAD

OVER HEELS

ABOUT MY GAME

BY NEIL McLEMAN

SEBASTIAN HALLER

claimed he is enjoying the

pressure of being West

Ham’s record signing even

though he admits he was

terrible against Watford.

The £45million striker still

proved the difference in this

helter-skelter encounter with

second-half strikes from inside

the six-yard box. The Hornets

Hero Haller: I was just terrible but the best is yet to come

COMING UP...

FACT ROOM...

WATFORD

Tom Coventry (h) .......EFL Cup

Sat Newcastle (a) ..............PL

Sept 15 Arsenal (h) ...................PL

WEST HAM

Tom Newport a) ......... EFL Cup

Sat Norwich (h) .................PL

Sept 16 Aston Villa (a) ..............PL

THEY SAID IT...

Haller’s goals were two very

important goals for him. Coming to

the Premier League is not easy. He

had just one start in a difficult

game against Man City.

MANUEL PELLEGRINI

Watford have lost four league

matches at home in a row for the

first time since a run of five

between October and December

2013.

The Hammers are undefeated in

their last four away matches in the

Premier League, winning three.

West Ham are the first club to have

150 different goal-scorers in the

Prem.

Watford had more shots against

West Ham (23) than they managed

in their first two games of the

season combined (19).

Andre Gray has scored 13 Prem

goals since his debut for Watford –

only Troy Deeney has scored more

in this period (14).

Mark Noble has scored five Prem

goals against Watford – more than

he has netted against any other

side in the league.

mirror.co.uk/sport/football

WATFORD

Foster .............................................7

Kiko ................................................ 7

Dawson .......................................... 6

Cathcart ......................................... 6

Holebas ......................................... 5

Hughes ...........................................7

Doucoure ....................................... 6

Capoue .......................................... 6

Cleverley .........................................7

Deulofeu ..........................................7

Gray ................................................ 7

SUBS

Sarr (Hughes74) ............................ 5

Welbeck (Deulofeu 74) ................... 5

Quina (Cleverley 86) ..................... 5

WEST HAM

Fabianski ........................................7

Fredericks ...................................... 5

Ogbonna ......................................... 6

Diop ................................................ 8

Masuaku ........................................ 5

Rice ................................................ 6

Noble .............................................. 6

Yarmolenko ................................... 4

Lanzini ........................................... 8

Anderson ........................................7

Haller .............................................. 7

SUBS

Antonio (Yarmolenko 55) ...............7

Fornals (Anderson 78) ...................?

Sanchez (Lanzini 87) .....................?

STATS YOUR LOT...

55% POSSESSION 45%

3 SHOTS ON TARGET 10

10 SHOTS OFF TARGET 4

1 OFFSIDES 2

8 CORNERS 7

12 FOULS 11

0 1 CARDS 1 0

ISSA DIOP

MAN OF THE MATCH

REFEREE

Chris Kavanagh

ATTENDANCE

20,035

PREMIER LEAGUE’S

TOP PENALTY TAKERS

Alan Shearer 56

Frank Lampard 43

Steven Gerrard 32

Mark Noble 25

CLEVER IDEA

TO SAVE BOSS

TOM CLEVERLEY called on Watford to

win twice before the international

break to ease the pressure on

manager Javier Gracia.

The Spaniard’s job is in

danger after a seventh

successive loss, Will

Hughes (above) missing an

open goal. Fit-again

Cleverley (left) said: “We’re in

a sticky patch but we can’t feel sorry for

ourselves. We’ve got two big games this

week heading into an international break

and we want to get that good feeling

back so let’s get a couple of wins.”