Manuel Pellegrini Left Frustrated as West Ham Slump to Defeat Against Watford

Manuel Pellegrini insisted he felt his side were unlucky not to get at least a draw as West Ham lost 2-0 to Watford at the London Stadium.

The game began as an even affair with both sides having their fair share of possession, however it was the visitors who got a lucky break. Roberto Pereyra went through on goal but was brought down by Fabian Balbuena in the penalty area with referee Lee Mason awarding the penalty. Troy Deeney stepped up and thumped the ball into the top corner to give his side the lead.

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West Ham responded well in the second half and had many chances to get back on level terms, however it just wasn't meant to be for the Hammers as Gerard Deulofeu made sure of the points for Watford as he rounded Lukasz Fabianski before slotting the ball into an empty net to make it 2-0.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Pellegrini insisted he felt his side were unlucky not to get at least a draw from the game and admitted his players needed to be more clinical in front of goal. He said: "Really I think we were a bit unlucky to not at least draw.

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"The penalty was the only action in our box in the first half, and we had three or four chances to draw the game. Unfortunately we didn't score and then they scored their second. We had to be faster and more accurate.

"In the second half they had a couple of chances but before that we had all the clear opportunities to draw. We were not lucky today and I think we deserved a little bit more."

As well as the disappointing defeat, the Hammers now find themselves in an injury crisis with eight players currently sidelined and with a crucial clash against a resurgent Southampton side on Thursday night, Pellegrini hopes he'll have some of his players back in time for the game.

He added: "In this moment we have eight players injured. We know that December and January are key months for results at the end of the season. I hope we can recover some players, especially Marko Arnautovic. Maybe he'll be ready next week but one of the merits of this team is to win games with a lot of players out of the squad."