Jarrod Bowen's deflected winner plunged Watford deeper into relegation trouble as Kurt Zouma played in a 1-0 win for West Ham
Zouma's shocking cat-attack video did not impact the decision to start the West Ham defender 
 Zouma was condemned by his club, the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups after a disturbing video emerged of him hitting, dropping, and kicking his pet across his kitchen floor on Monday
Bowen netted the winner for the Hammers on 68 minutes when his speculative effort from range deflected past a helpless Ben Foster
 It was tough on Watford, who looked set for a second clean sheet in a row under Roy Hodgson in a much improved defensive showing
The result lifts West Ham back into the top four while Watford stay in the bottom three
A reaction was expected from West Ham after their dismal performance at Kidderminster in the FA Cup but it was not forthcoming in the early stages
 The first shot on goal of any kind came from Watford man Juraj Kucka, who headed wide from eight yards out
 The Hammers continued to plod their way through the half but did create one golden opening, sparked by a silky bit of play by Jarrod Bowen
He found Said Benrahma inside the box but his first effort was blocked by Ben Foster before he slammed the rebound against the post
West Ham continued to stutter after the break with Watford looking comfortable
 Benrahma flashed a half-chance over the crossbar as Samir's strength was nullifying the hold-up play of Michail Antonio
The home fans were becoming restless, but Bowen dragged his side out of a sticky situation
 His effort from 25 yards was not hit with much force but a slight nick off Samir sent the ball agonisingly beyond the reach of Foster
Watford responded and their best chance to equalise fell to Tom Cleverley, who was teed up after a fantastic run and pass by Joshua King but he blazed his effort over the crossbar
Bowen almost doubled the advantage with six minutes remaining as West Ham sensed a second but his effort was tipped onto the post by Foster
 Watford had nothing more to give and despite signs of improvement, face an uphill battle to stay in the Premier League
Let's be clear, Watford didn't do enough to beat West Ham
 But such was their defensive solidarity at the London Stadium, they didn't deserve to lose either
 "The game was evenly poised before the goal," Roy Hodgson said
 He was right
Watford looked a different animal in their shape to most of their fixtures this season
 The work Hodgson is doing on the training pitch is making a difference
 Like at Burnley, Watford defended as a unit, worked hard and didn't make mistakes
 West Ham only created an expected goals figure of 1
06 and posted just three shots on target
Hodgson needs some confidence to return with his front players to start turning promise into results
 Maybe the return of Ismaila Sarr will help in that regard
 He's likely to play against Brighton on Saturday
 But time is running out, especially with Newcastle posting back-to-back victories
There might not be much of him, he stands at just 5′6″ in height, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in enthusiasm and a willingness to defend properly - something that Watford haven't done all season
 His signing from Nice looks a shrewd bit of business on this display
 Not many full-backs have managed to cope with the pace and trickery of Bowen this season in the style that Kamara managed
 He didn't deserve to be on the losing side
West Ham boss said: "I think at different times in the season we've had players stand up and be counted
 Micky Antonio in the early part of the season was terrific - his goals, his performances
 When we need somebody else, Jarrod's been really good and as everybody knows, Declan's been in scintillating form for most parts of the season
 Everybody needs a player to step up and Jarrod's been the one who's doing that recently
"Roy Hodgson says he was not surprised to see Kurt Zouma start for West Ham despite the social media video that emerged just a day before Watford's visit to the London Stadium
"I never concern myself with those things, that's not my business," insisted Hodgson
 "That's the business of the club
"I didn't expect him not to play, he's one of their better players and it's something the club has to deal with
"Hodgson was more concerned with the "unfortunate" winner scored by Bowen that saw his side slip to their first defeat under the former England boss
"It's unfortunate to concede a goal like that
 I think the game was evenly poised," added Hodgson
"But when they got the goal it improved their confidence and their composure grew
 But if we'd been lucky we might have still got an equaliser
"West Ham are back in action on Sunday when they face Leicester at the King Power Stadium, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 4
30pm
Meanwhile, Watford host Brighton at Vicarage Road on Saturday; kick-off 3pm
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