Sebastien Haller scored 20 goals in 41 games for Eintracht Frankfurt last season
Record signing Sebastien Haller scored twice as West Ham consigned Watford to a third consecutive Premier League defeat this term.
The French striker, who arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt in a deal worth up to £45m this summer, opened his West Ham account with a tap-in from Felipe Anderson's cut-back.
And he then acrobatically turned the ball home with an overhead kick from three yards after following up from a corner.
Mark Noble's third-minute penalty set West Ham on their way to their first win of the season after Manuel Lanzini had been fouled by Abdoulaye Doucoure.
But Watford responded to level with a well-worked Andre Gray goal, with the forward drilling home a right-foot shot from Will Hughes' pass.
However the Hornets were punished for their wastefulness in front of goal with just three of their 23 shots on target.
Javi Gracia's side, who sit bottom of the table, have now lost seven successive games in all competitions for the first time since 1999, while West Ham's victory sees them climb to 13th.
Reversal of fortunes for Watford
At the same stage last term Watford had collected nine points after an impressive start, but a pointless return this time around represents a complete reversal of fortune.
While they did at least register their first goal of the campaign, manager Gracia appears to have problems at both ends of the pitch to contend with.
Despite creating a multitude of opportunities, Gray's 17th-minute strike was all they had to show for their endeavour.
Gerard Deulofeu's influence as a creator was a plus, but he cannot be relied upon to be the prolific forward the club need to improve on last term's 11th-place finish.
The former Barcelona man had seven shots on goal, with only a close-range strike that hit the West Ham crossbar finding the target.
It was a chance, alongside Will Hughes' extraordinary miss from a yard out after Gray had squared the ball with the score at 1-1, that summed up the hosts' lack of potency in attack.
At the other end, the presence of Haller, Felipe Anderson and Manuel Lanzini provided too much power, pace and guile for the Watford defence to cope with.
Gracia's side now face a challenging sequence of fixtures - with a home game against Arsenal sandwiched between trips to Newcastle and reigning champions Manchester City - having shipped 41 goals in their last 18 matches.
More to follow.
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Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text
Line-ups
Watford
26Foster
21FemenÃa
4Dawson
15Cathcart
25HolebasBooked at 63mins
29Capoue
16Doucouré
19HughesSubstituted forSarrat 74'minutes
8CleverleySubstituted forQuinaat 86'minutes
7DeulofeuSubstituted forWelbeckat 74'minutes
18Gray
Substitutes
1Gomes
2Janmaat
10Welbeck
14Chalobah
20Quina
23Sarr
27Kabasele
West Ham
1Fabianski
24Fredericks
23Diop
21OgbonnaBooked at 76mins
26Masuaku
41Rice
16Noble
7YarmolenkoSubstituted forAntonioat 55'minutes
10LanziniSubstituted forC Sánchezat 88'minutes
8Felipe AndersonSubstituted forFornalsat 78'minutes
22Haller
Substitutes
4Balbuena
5Zabaleta
13Jiménez
15C Sánchez
18Fornals
27Ajeti
30Antonio
Referee:
Chris Kavanagh
Attendance:
20,035
Match Stats
Home TeamWatfordAway TeamWest Ham
Possession
Home55%
Away45%
Shots
Home23
Away16
Shots on Target
Home3
Away10
Corners
Home8
Away7
Fouls
Home12
Away11
Live Text
Posted at
Match ends, Watford 1, West Ham United 3.
Full TimePosted at 90'+5'
Second Half ends, Watford 1, West Ham United 3.
Posted at 90'+2'
Domingos Quina (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 90'+2'
Foul by Issa Diop (West Ham United).
Posted at 90'+1'
Foul by Domingos Quina (Watford).
Posted at 90'+1'
Michail Antonio (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Posted at 90'
Attempt missed. Etienne Capoue (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a set piece situation.
Posted at 90'
Danny Welbeck (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 90'
Foul by Ryan Fredericks (West Ham United).
SubstitutionPosted at 88'
Substitution, West Ham United. Carlos Sánchez replaces Manuel Lanzini.
SubstitutionPosted at 86'
Substitution, Watford. Domingos Quina replaces Tom Cleverley.
Posted at 86'
Attempt missed. Andre Gray (Watford) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Tom Cleverley with a headed pass following a corner.
Posted at 85'
Corner, Watford. Conceded by Issa Diop.
Posted at 84'
Attempt missed. Arthur Masuaku (West Ham United) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Manuel Lanzini.
Posted at 83'
Attempt saved. Abdoulaye Doucouré (Watford) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Tom Cleverley.
Posted at 83'
Attempt blocked. Ismaila Sarr (Watford) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Danny Welbeck.
Posted at 82'
Attempt saved. Pablo Fornals (West Ham United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Michail Antonio with a cross.
Posted at 81'
Etienne Capoue (Watford) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 81'
Foul by Sébastien Haller (West Ham United).
Posted at 81'
Attempt missed. Tom Cleverley (Watford) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Abdoulaye Doucouré.
Posted at 79'
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Craig Cathcart.
SubstitutionPosted at 78'
Substitution, West Ham United. Pablo Fornals replaces Felipe Anderson.
Posted at 77'
Ismaila Sarr (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 77'
Foul by Felipe Anderson (West Ham United).
BookingPosted at 76'
Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham United) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Posted at 76'
Danny Welbeck (Watford) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 76'
Foul by Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham United).
SubstitutionPosted at 74'
Substitution, Watford. Danny Welbeck replaces Gerard Deulofeu.
SubstitutionPosted at 74'
Substitution, Watford. Ismaila Sarr replaces Will Hughes.
Goal!Posted at 73'
Goal! Watford 1, West Ham United 3. Sébastien Haller (West Ham United) right footed shot from very close range to the top right corner following a corner.
Posted at 73'
Attempt saved. Michail Antonio (West Ham United) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Manuel Lanzini with a cross.
Posted at 72'
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Craig Dawson.
Posted at 72'
Attempt saved. Michail Antonio (West Ham United) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Felipe Anderson with a cross.
Posted at 71'
Corner, West Ham United. Conceded by Etienne Capoue.
Posted at 70'
Foul by Craig Cathcart (Watford).
Posted at 70'
Sébastien Haller (West Ham United) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Posted at 69'
Attempt blocked. Felipe Anderson (West Ham United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Arthur Masuaku.
Posted at 68'
Corner, Watford. Conceded by Ryan Fredericks.
Posted at 66'
Attempt missed. Andre Gray (Watford) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Gerard Deulofeu with a cross following a set piece situation.
Posted at 66'
Etienne Capoue (Watford) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Source: bbc.com