West Ham loses 2-0 at Watford in 1st match under Moyes
West Ham put in a familiar performance on Sunday despite having hired a new manager.
David Moyes’s first game in charge ended in a 2-0 defeat at Watford, keeping his new club in the Premier League relegation zone.
Will Hughes scored his first goal for Watford before setting up Richarlison to end a three-match losing streak for the Hornets.
Watford moves back up to eighth. West Ham hasn’t recorded a league win since September and stays 18th.
West Ham’s decision to hire a manager who failed to last a year at his previous three clubs — Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, after a long-running stay at Everton — was met with criticism from supporters and Moyes’ debut did little to appease them.
Having been clattered by Andy Carroll just six seconds into his Watford debut, Marvin Zeegelaar displayed his toughness to help set up the opening goal.
West Ham could only clear Zeegelaar’s cross as far as Andre Gray, whose scuffed shot fell into Hughes’s path, allowing the midfielder to swivel and find the bottom corner with his left foot after 11 minutes.
Watford was in control for much of the game at Vicarage Road, but West Ham did have chances to draw level.
Cheikhou Kouyate wasted a clear opening either side of halftime and Heurelho Gomes made a fine triple-save from Marko Arnautovic to preserve the home side’s lead.
Watford appeared to take note of the scares and lifted its intensity. Its reward came when Richarlison latched onto Hughes’s pass in the 64th. The Brazilian pushed the ball onto his left foot before squeezing his effort past Joe Hart, who should have done better.
Sunderland hires ex-Wales coach Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman has taken charge of English second-tier club Sunderland after quitting as Wales coach. The struggling northeast England team says Coleman signed a 2 1/2-year contract as its ninth manager in six seasons.
Coleman led Wales to the 2016 European Championship semifinals in the country’s first appearance at a tournament since the 1958 World Cup.
Coleman couldn’t build on that feat by leading Wales to the World Cup in Russia next year, falling short in qualifying in the last act of his six-year reign.
The 47-year-old Welshman fills the Sunderland job that has been vacant since Simon Grayson was fired more than two weeks ago.
“The club worked incredibly hard to make sure we were a good fit and to show me the potential that can be achieved here,” Coleman said. “I believe that every person at this football club, every player and every supporter has a part to play in getting us back to where we belong.”
Sunderland, which is bottom of the League Championship with 11 points from 17 games, was relegated from the Premier League in May.
Mooy, Kagawa and Son in running for Asian award
Emerging Australian soccer star Aaron Mooy and former winners Shinji Kagawa of Japan and South Korean Son Heung-min make up the shortlist for this year's Asian International Player of the Year award.
And Ange Postecoglou — who's still to decide whether he'll take Australia to the World Cup after guiding it into next year's finals — is among the nominees for Asian Coach of the Year.
Midfielder Mooy was a leading figure in Australia's qualification for the World Cup finals and Huddersfield's promotion to the England Premier League this season.
The nomination of Kagawa, 2012 winner of the award, reflects his
Yesterday Leeds-Middlesbrough ....................... 2-1
SCOTLAND
Yesterday Hearts-Partick ................................... 1-1
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Yesterday Dundee Utd-Falkirk ........................... 3-0 inspirational role for both World Cup qualifier Japan and for German Bundesliga force Borussia Dortmund, while 2015 winner Son has been a guiding figure for his country and the EPL's Tottenham Hotspur.