Javier Hernández strike sets West Ham on the way to victory over Watford

A semblance of calm has been restored. Instead of directing jeers at the people in the posh seats, the crowd at the London Stadium kept their focus on the pitch throughout, pushing West Ham United to a crucial victory and giving Marko Arnautovic a standing ovation after his late substitution. Arnautovic had just underlined his importance to West Ham’s survival hopes, taking advantage of generous Watford defending to mark his return from injury with his seventh goal of the season, and by the end there could be no doubt why David Moyes was so happy to have his mercurial Austrian forward available again.

Having toiled without their record signing, West Ham fed off his guile to earn their first win since 16 January and move five points clear of the bottom three. Javier Hernández also made a vital contribution, notching his third goal in his past four matches, and Moyes, who could be seen cajoling his players throughout, was a satisfied man at the end of a tense afternoon.

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