A bad day for Watford. A disastrous one for their defender Jose Holebas. As errors of judgements go, his decision to place a momentary hand on Michail Antonio’s shoulder as the West Ham forward raced clear towards goal is as profound as they come.
Antonio hit the deck and Holebas was shown a straight red card, leaving his hopes of playing in next week’s FA Cup final against Manchester City in tatters.
It was a mere momentary lapse in discipline, but in football that’s all it takes. The agony was etched all over the Hornets defender’s face.
Mark Noble sends Ben Foster the wrong way from the penalty spot to score West Ham's fourth goal against Watford
Marko Anautovic celebrates his 10th goal of the season; scoring a rebound after Felipe ANderson's effort hit the post
Manuel Lanzini celebrates after scoring West Ham's second goal against Watford at Vicarage Road
The Argentine headed in from close range after Michail Antonio's shot cannoned back off the crossbar
Watford (4-4-2): Foster; Femenia, Kabasele (Mariappa 78), Cathcart, Holebas; Hughes (Masina 67), Doucoure, Capoue, Pereyra; Deulofeu (Gray 59), Deeney
Subs not used: Gomes, Janmaat, Success, Chalobah,
Manager: Javi Gracia
Booked: Cathcart
Sent off: Holebas (48)
Goals: Deulofeu (46)
West Ham: Fabianski, Fredericks (Zabaleta 26), Diop, Balbuena, Masuaku, Rice (Sanchez 79), Noble, Lanzini (Wilshere 67), Anderson, Antonio, Arnautovic
Subs not used: Adrian, Ogbonna, Snodgrass, Chicarito
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Booked:
Goals: Noble (15, 78 PEN), Lanzini (39), Arnautovic (71)
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Attendance: 20,067
Subject to successful appeal, Holebas’ Wembley dream is over.
It’s a problem Watford manager Javi Gracia could have done without as he prepares his team for their with destiny against the Premier League champions on Saturday.
But it isn’t the only quandary he has this week. Since his side’s unforgettable semi-final win over Wolves, the Hornets have won just once in six - and that came against bottom club Huddersfield, who’d already been relegated.
Mark Noble (right) celebrates with team-mate Manuel Lanzini after scoring the first goal against Watford
The West Ham captain exchanged passes with Michail Antonio before slotting past Hornets goalkeeper Ben Foster
This 4-1 loss to West Ham another blow to their confidence ahead of next weekend’s shot at glory. Switching the on-and-off button simply isn’t that easy, particularly when City are the opposition.
As for West Ham, their 10th placed finish represents a relative success given their dreadful start to the season under Manuel Pellergrini in which they lost their first four Premier League games.
They rode their luck here at Vicarage Road, the
