Watford and 10-man West Ham United were forced to play out to a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The Hornets got off to a firing start in the opening exchanges of the match when captain Troy Deeney scored from the penalty spot after Mauro Zarate was brought down in the area by Cheikhou Kouyate.

Two minutes later and Watford had a chance to double their lead when M’Baye Niang unleashed a strike at goal, but his effort flew just over the crossbar.

The Hammers had a chance of their own in the 29th minute when Robert Snodgrass set up Feghouli in the area, but Gomes was on hand to pounce on the pass at the vital moment.

However, the match went into the half-time interval with Watford leading 1-0 in the first 45 minutes.

In the 75th minute of the match, Antonio levelled matters for West Ham when the striker unleashed a thunderous strike, which hit both posts before finding Andrea Ayew, who slotted the ball into the back of the net from close range.

The Hammers were dealt a major blow in the 86th minute when Antonio scooped the ball into his grasp after being brought down from behind and he did so despite the referee’s whistle, leaving the man in charge no choice but to show him a second yellow card.

However, neither side could find the winning goal in the closing stages of the match as they were forced to share the spoils at the Hawthorns.

Image: Premier League website