West Ham United's search for a first Championship victory of the season went on after a 1-1 draw at Watford, with manager Nuno Espirito Santo openly acknowledging the mounting pressure on his position. The stalemate at Vicarage Road, played out in front of the ground's largest crowd in six years, did little to ease the growing frustration among the club's supporters.
A section of the travelling Hammers faithful made their feelings known during the match, aiming chants of "You're getting sacked in the morning" toward their head coach, even as the team produced an improved display after the interval. The result leaves West Ham with just two points from three league matches, a stark contrast to the lofty expectations placed on them as one of the favourites for promotion back to the Premier League this season.
The draw follows a troubling start to the campaign for Nuno's side, who surrendered a two-goal advantage in a draw at Burnley before suffering an unexpected home defeat to Charlton Athletic. Those results, combined with Saturday's stalemate, have intensified scrutiny on the Portuguese coach as he attempts to turn around a squad many had tipped for an instant return to the top flight.
Speaking after the match, Nuno did not shy away from addressing the situation directly. "Pressure is on us every day. We are a big club and we are favourites to go up. We have two points from three games, so who's happy?" he said. Despite the difficult run, the head coach insisted he retains faith in his squad's ability to turn things around. "But I believe – I trust my boys and I work very hard with them. We are building a team and things will change, I'm positive," he added.
Nuno also took time to address the travelling fans directly, acknowledging their frustration while asking for patience. "The fans are the most important part of our club and I respect them so much. I understand everything, I respect every opinion," he said. "I just ask again, keep believing, keep trusting us, keep going and a win must come – hopefully it will be at the London Stadium on Tuesday. We need it."
The West Ham boss praised his players' mentality despite the lack of results so far this season. "I have nothing to say about the players' attitude and belief, and they are more important for us moving forward, believing in the process and the way we are doing things. We're positive that we're going to click – we're going to do it," he said.
On the pitch, it was Watford who struck first through Afghanistan international Amin Nabizada, who curled a delightful chipped effort beyond West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen after 19 minutes to open the scoring. It was the second goal of the season for Nabizada, who had already caught the eye with a spectacular 70-yard solo strike against Southampton on the opening weekend.
Watford head coach Alessio Dionisi spoke warmly of the young forward's progress, revealing his growing confidence in the player since arriving at the club. "I believe in Amin – I did not know him before I arrived but he played well in every pre-season game," Dionisi said. "I'm happy for him, I'm happy for my team and a positive result is even better. Now I wait for other players to score because it is impossible for Amin to score in every match."
Dionisi also reflected on the turnaround in fortunes for his own side, who have collected five points from their opening matches after a difficult beginning to the campaign. "One month ago, when we looked at the first three games, it looked terrible for us. But for me, every match is an opportunity for my team and now we have five points it feels better than a month ago," he said, while also hinting at the need for defensive reinforcements before the transfer window closes.
West Ham will now turn their attention to Tuesday's home fixture at the London Stadium, where Nuno's side will be desperate to finally register their first league win of the season.
Based on reporting from standard-football.