For Isla
Yesterday's match was in the memory of Isla Caton.
There were a lot of other things going on around the game but none should take away from the match being dedicated to the young girl who sadly passed away in January after losing her battle with cancer.
There was a minute's applause prior to kick-off, the two teams wore pink armbands in her memory, and the supporters of both sides gave her a standing ovation in the seventh minute and chanted her name during the fixture.
The West Ham programme had a picture of Isla and club captain Mark Noble on the front and before kick-off a video message from Nikki Caton, Isla's mother was played on the screens around the stadium
The love and support shown from the West Ham fanbase and the wider football community has been a wonderful thing and the tributes paid to her last night were beautiful to witness.
Rest in peace little Isla.
Moyes declines opportunity to take Zouma stance
Kurt Zouma put his manager in an awful position over whether to select the defender or not. The news from Monday night made headlines around the world after a video emerged of the Frenchman kicking and hitting his pet cat.
The club are understood to be dealing with it internally and will be holding a disciplinary hearing in due course, while the police are opening an enquiry. A club sponsor Experience Kissimmee and Zouma's personal boot supplier Adidas are monitoring the situation after condemning his actions.
Yet despite all of this Moyes still made the decision to start Zouma. His inclusion came as a shock and was not supported by the majority of West Ham fans in attendance on Tuesday night who booed the player's name as it was read out in the team announcement.
However, once the game got underway there was support for the West Ham defender. The away fans booed his every touch and had chants ready for the centre-back and the home fans responded by applauding the 27-year-old.
Moyes was asked on BT Sport if the emergence of the video on social media had any influence on this team selection: "No, because he is one of our better players. But it is certainly ongoing and the club are dealing with it, so that is a separate matter."
The manager's decision to start the defender was a controversial one after the club had condemned his actions and was not the right message to send. Issa Diop, Aji Alese or even Declan Rice could have filled in for the defender but Moyes opted to put the team's need for three points over sending a strong message about Zouma's actions.
Moyes has been superb on and off the pitch for West Ham but he let himself down yesterday and many fans are seething as a result. The club's actions in punishing Zouma will be eagerly awaited but Moyes missed the chance to take an immediate stance.
Sluggish start... again
West Ham were dire in attack for the first 45 minutes. Michail Antonio's control let him down on many occasions with the striker unable to keep the ball and link the play with the Hammers attacking midfielders.
Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals gave possession away time after time with Jarrod Bowen the only one who looked like creating any chances outside of set-pieces. Bowen looked to run at his man when he had the ball at his feet and played a lovely pass through to Benrahma who should have done better than hit his first shot at Ben Foster and the rebound against the post.
Other than that West Ham created little in the first period bar the odd threat from a corner. The Hammers improved in the second half and had a bit more urgency to their game as they chased an opener.
Manuel Lanzini's Introduction on the hour mark livened the attack up slightly but it was a disappointing performance from the Hammers' attacking players bar Bowen and one they need to improve on ahead of the hectic set of fixtures on the horizon. Lanzini's return to fitness could be the key to this with the Argentine in superb form of late.
Weird atmosphere
The London Stadium was an odd place last night. The first two readings of the team were greeted by a few boos when Kurt Zouma's name was announced, but the stadium was nowhere close to full at the time. Usually, there is a third reading just before kick-off but not on Tuesday.
The only apparent reason for this would be to spare Zouma being booed by the best part of 60,000 people, he got plenty anyway but maybe not in the numbers he would have done pre kick-off.
It felt like there was a section of support who wanted to show their displeasure with Zouma whilst others wanted to get behind their team particularly when the opposition fans were in full song towards Zouma.
There was an element of the team needing to lift the fans as well with West Ham expected to beat Watford. A fierce start from the home side would have really geed the crowd up. As it was the first-half was a poor affair and there was little for the fans to cheer, as the game wore on so the support increased and it was as much relief as joy when Bowen's deflected effort went in. From then on the stadium was rocking as the crowd cheered their team onto victory.
Who knows how long the Zouma issue will continue but it is safe to say every opposition's fanbase will be on the defender's back for quite some time, how the Hammers' fans react to him over the coming weeks will be an interesting development in a bizarre story.
Jarrod Bowen steps up
Bar the obvious in Declan Rice is there a more important player to West Ham right now than Jarrod Bowen?
Rice is almost a case apart such is the sheer gulf between him and almost every other player on the pitch in practically every game he plays, and I include the opposition in that. But Bowen is really stepping up when West Ham need him most. The winner against Kidderminster was followed by the winner last night versus Watford, a result that saw the Hammers move back into the top four.
Bowen's strike was fortunate but he was the most likely player on either side to break the deadlock. He came within a whisker of doubling the Hammers' lead when Ben Foster expertly tipped a curling effort onto the post moments after the opening goal, and Bowen was the most dangerous man throughout.
Moyes is prepared to use him as Michail Anotnio's back up through the middle if necessary but Bowen is at his most dangerous from the right, even if his goal came when running at the defence from a central position. If Moyes can get Antonio back to his goalscoring best and keep Bowen in this form then the Hammers really do have a great shout of a European finish once more.
On a personal note with each passing week Bowen must be getting closer to an England call-up as well. Goals, assists and a never-ending work rate surely cannot pass Gareth Southgate for much longer.
