Odion Ighalo scores twice as Watford beat West Ham United

The Hornets were confident and positive from the outset and after having a big penalty appeal turned down when a Troy Deeney shot was headed onto his own hand by Andy Carroll, the hosts started to lift the attacking ante from the midway point of the half.

Aided by some good set-piece deliveries from Ben Watson, the home side increasingly pressed for the opener and it arrived when Carroll made a hash of dealing with a free-kick from the former Wigan Athletic midfielder, allowing Nathan Ake to set up Ighalo for Premier League goal number six.

And number seven was to follow within three minutes of the restart, the Nigerian international capitalising on a bad mistake by James Tomkins after Deeney and Ikechi Anya had combined to cut apart the Hammers’ defence.

A lapse from Craig Cathcart almost allowed Enner Valencia to give the visitors an undeserved equaliser when the substitute struck a post but, in truth, West Ham were well beaten, ending the game with ten men after James Collins was sent off for a very late challenge on Ighalo. The Hammers were second best in all departments against a Hornets side who built on their victory at Stoke City and are now adding a multi-dimensional approach to their attacking play to complement their defensive resolve.

Following last week’s 2-0 victory at the Potters and with no fresh injury concerns, Quique Sanchez Flores opted to name an unchanged starting XI which meant Sebastian Prodl and Valon Behrami again had to settle for a place on the bench.

West Ham made it seven top-flight games unbeaten with a 2-1 win over Chelsea last time out and the Hammers’ starting line-up showed two changes. Victor Moses, who had been ineligible to face his parent club, was preferred to Mauro Zarate while there was a first start since February for Carroll in place of the injured Diafra Sakho.

Both sides sought to be positive from the opening whistle, with West Ham looking to utilise Moses’ pace down the right in the opening stages. And it was the Hammers who had the first attempt of the game when the ball was worked to Dimitri Payet, who came in from the left and hit a low right-footed shot from the edge of the 18-yard box which Heurelho Gomes comfortably held.

Watford had their first opportunity in the eighth minute when good work by Nathan Ake led to the first corner of the contest. Watson’s delivery from the right caused problems and Payet was unable to get any distance on his attempted clearing header but Ighalo’s overhead kick fell kindly for Adrian.

The Hornets kept the pressure on though, winning two more corners, the second of which saw the home side come very close to taking the lead and having a huge penalty appeal turned down.

West Ham were to some extent the architects of their own problems, leaving Ake to meet the set-piece delivery from the right with a free header which Adrian did well to parry. The follow-up was blocked before Deeney fired goalwards, only to see his effort repelled by Carroll close to his own goal line. The hosts appealed as one for a spot-kick but the TV replay showed the striker headed the ball onto his own hand as the Irons escaped.

The Golden Boys, playing at a good tempo and keeping the ball well at times, continued to ask most of the attacking questions, but it was the visitors who were to have the next opening in the 24th minute when a flick set Moses away down the inside-right channel but he dragged his shot across the face of goal and behind.

Soon after Ighalo had an effort from the right side of the area blocked behind when Deeney looked to be better placed for a pull back. Again Watson’s set-piece delivery caused problems for the Hammers, this time Deeney’s far-post header going straight up into the air before he volleyed the dropping ball high and wide of the target.

And it was Watson who was also the supplier of Watford’s next opportunity in the 28th minute; this time a free-kick from the right picking out Miguel Britos, who headed wide from 12 yards.

West Ham may have won at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City this season but they were being given a stern examination by their opponents, who went close to making the breakthrough again when Deeney’s tenacity saw him find Almen Abdi. He appealed for a penalty after being challenged but Ighalo didn’t stop, latching on to the loose ball and firing in a shot from a tight angle that forced Adrian into action at his near post.

More great footwork from the Nigerian, including making Carl Jenkinson look rather silly with a dummy, saw the hosts create yet another opportunity, but on this occasion Abdi was unable to get enough on his attempted finish to trouble Adrian.

But in the 39th minute Watford’s good work was deservedly rewarded. It originated from a Watson free-kick from the right which Carroll failed to deal with at the back post, allowing Ake to win a header before the striker committed another mistake, giving the Chelsea loanee the chance to play in a low cross which Ighalo converted to make it 1-0.

It was the striker’s sixth goal of the season and only the second the Hornets had scored at home, although there were suggestions the decisive touch may have come off Aaron Cresswell.

West Ham were rattled, although they did have the opportunity to get back on terms before the interval, but Cheikhou Kouyate could only direct a flicked header from a free-kick straight at Gomes.

But there was still time for Watford to create another chance when Abdi’s right-footed strike from near the edge of the 18-yard box was headed away before Watson’s follow-up header went over.

The Hammers had been poor in the first half and Slaven Bilic made his feelings abundantly clear at the start of the second period, replacing Manuel Lanzini and Moses with Zarate and Valencia respectively. Within three minutes of the restart, his side were two down.

Deeney started the business end of the move off with a lovely ball to put Anya in behind and his attempted cut back was intercepted – and controlled terribly – by Tomkins, giving Ighalo the opportunity to calmly lift the ball into the roof of the net to make it 2-0.

It is not an exaggeration to suggest the Hornets could have been 4-0 up by the 50th minute. First the Hammers’ rearguard was cut apart again by a Deeney lay-off to Ighalo, who saw his potential hat-trick effort well saved by Adrian. Next the Hornets skipper almost got in on the scoring act when he was picked out following some fine work by Etienne Capoue, but he was unable to keep his shot down.

Anya had a shot blocked and Ake fired wide as the yellow tide continued towards the Hammers’ goal before Abdi tried a curling effort from the left side of the area which went narrowly over.

Carroll had scarcely had a sniff in front of the Hornets goal but when an opportunity did present itself on the hour mark he sliced a volley wide from eight yards after being picked out by a deep Payat delivery.

Allan Nyom blotted his copybook when he was booked in the 66th minute for tripping Valencia before Flores decided to make his first change, bringing on Juan Carlos Paredes for Anya.

The visitors had not done enough to really deserve to get back into the contest but they were almost gifted a goal in the 69th minute when a rare lapse in judgement from Cathcart saw him sell Gomes short with a back pass, Valencia nipped in but saw his effort rebound back out off the keeper’s left-hand post and the rebound didn’t fall kindly for either the substitute or Carroll.

The home side were soon back on the front foot though, with Paredes firing wide of the near post after more good build-up play involving Deeney and Capoue.

Cathcart quickly moved on from his mistake, producing a fine defensive header to prevent Carroll from connecting with a good Jenkinson cross from the right.

Behrami came on to face his former club as a 75th-minute replacement for Abdi and at the same time, Mark Noble made way for Nikica Jelavic.

The Hornets were comfortable for the most part though, to the extent that at times they almost seemed to be toying with their opponents, who were getting more and more frustrated.

Kouyate had already been involved in a couple of spats with Deeney when with six minutes to go, Collins went in very late on Ighalo, catching the striker just above his knee. Referee Keith Stroud immediately reached for a red card while the Hornets’ two-goal hero had to be helped from the pitch and was replaced by Adlene Guedioura.

The home side almost applied some further gloss in injury time when Paredes stood up which Deeney met with a header, only for Jenkinson to appear from almost nowhere to head it away as the Hornets secured a first home league win over the Hammers since 1985 in very impressive fashion.

Watford: Gomes; Nyom, Cathcart, Britos, Ake; Watson, Capoue; Anya (Paredes 68), Deeney, Abdi (Behrami 75); Ighalo (Guedioura 86). Not used: Arlauskis, Prodl, Ibarbo, Diamanti.

West Ham United: Adrian; Jenkinson, Tomkins, Collins, Cresswell; Noble (Jelavic 75), Kouyate; Moses (Valencia 46), Lanzini (Zarate 46), Payet; Carroll. Not used: Randolph, O’Brien, Ogbonna, Antonio.

Bookings: Nyom for a foul on Valencia (66); Capoue for a foul on Kouyate (81); Collins sent off for a foul on Ighalo (84).

Attendance: 20,598 (2,280 away fans).

Referee: Keith Stroud.