The Watford captain criticised West Ham after his side came back from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at the London Stadium last weekend.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has denied his team was looking to embarrass Watford last weekend, speaking to the London Evening Standard.
The Hammers hosted Watford at the London Stadium last weekend, in arguably what turned out to be the game of the weekend.
West Ham raced to a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Michail Antonio, before Watford completed a major comeback to secure a famous 4-2 win.
Watford’s Troy Deeney celebrates scoring their second goal
Watford captain Troy Deeney claimed after the game that he felt that the Hammers were trying to ‘mug off’ his team (witness Payet’s Rabona), and that this disrespect had sparked their comeback.
Bilic has denied that was the case, however, stating in a press conference covered by the Evening Standard:
“(Deeney)’s a great player and a very clever player and it was smart to say that.
“I’ve been here more than a year and I haven’t seen my players underestimate any team that we have played so far. It’s just a clever statement from Troy.”
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
West Ham have managed just three points from their first four games this season, and currently sit in 17th position in the Premier League table.
This weekend sees the Hammers taking on West Brom at the Hawthorns, in what will be an important match for both clubs – West Brom have bagged only one point more than West Ham from their first four games of the season. West Ham won the corresponding match 2-1 last December.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic
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