Nabizada Shines as Watford Draw Heaps Pressure on Nuno

As a long-established club near the top of English football, West Ham carry considerable expectations. They play in a 68,000-capacity stadium and broke the Championship transfer record shortly after relegation, so many assumed their stay in the second tier would be both comfortable and short.

However, three games into the Championship campaign, they remain without a victory, leaving supporters understandably frustrated. The travelling fans briefly booed at full time before directing chants about dismissal towards manager Nuno Espírito Santo. Such a poor beginning was never part of the plan, and the head coach is now under mounting pressure.

The extent of Nuno’s responsibility remains open to discussion. Nevertheless, after saying that the £22m signing of Arne Engels was intended to prepare him for Premier League football, the manager has given himself little room for excuses.

This result followed a draw with Burnley and a defeat against Charlton. Failing to beat a Watford team struggling for momentum only added to West Ham’s disappointment.

Alessio Dionisi and his players still deserve considerable praise. Watford’s squad is so limited that the manager has recently adjusted training sessions because too few senior players are available. A substitutes’ bench containing two goalkeepers and only one defender underlined the urgent need for reinforcements before the transfer window closes.

One player Dionisi can rely on is Amin Nabizada, a gifted 19-year-old academy graduate who has quickly emerged as Watford’s most dangerous attacking threat. The English-born Afghanistan international had not started a senior match before this season, yet he has featured from the beginning in every league game so far. He rewarded that faith by putting the home side ahead with his second outstanding goal in three appearances.

Collecting the ball on the left of West Ham’s penalty area, Nabizada created room with a clever stepover and then lifted a precise curling effort beyond Mads Hermansen into the far top corner in the 19th minute.

West Ham showed greater urgency as the contest developed, although their equaliser eight minutes later owed plenty to good fortune. Kévin Keben attempted to guide the ball out of play near his own goal line, but Valentín Castellanos stole possession and directed it across the face of goal. The ball struck the unfortunate Mattie Pollock before ending up in Watford’s net.

Jarrod Bowen became increasingly influential as Watford retreated into a deeper defensive shape. West Ham’s supporters began to sense an opportunity, but controlling territory against second-tier opposition is the minimum they expect. Bowen is an accomplished player with 22 England appearances who had been considered for a World Cup place, while many of his teammates possess extensive Premier League experience.

Before kick-off, Dionisi said Watford would need determination, favourable breaks and an underwhelming West Ham performance to secure victory. He still described the challenge as extremely difficult. The fact that his side came so close reflected both the commitment of Watford’s players and the shortcomings of their opponents.

Watford had an opportunity to claim all three points with eight minutes left. A swift counterattack lifted the Vicarage Road crowd and ended with Iker Bravo’s effort taking a deflection over the crossbar, despite the forward having enough time to choose his finish. The winner never arrived, but West Ham recording only one shot on target throughout the match summed up their ineffective display.