EPL: Fulham fall deeper into trouble with loss at West Ham; Watford win

Fulham fell deeper into relegation trouble with a 3-1 Premier League defeat by West Ham United at London Stadium on Friday.

Claudio Ranieri's 19th-placed side made the ideal start, grabbing the lead in the third minute with former Liverpool forward Ryan Babel scoring from close range after he had earlier missed a golden chance.

There was controversy about West Ham's equaliser when Mexican striker Javier Hernandez stooped to head in from close range but replays suggested the ball went in off his arm.

Issa Diop's first Premier League goal, with a header five minutes before the break, put West Ham in charge and while Fulham produced some decent football after the break, they rarely threatened.

Marko Arnautovic and Manuel Lanzini made their returns for West Ham as substitutes.

But it was not until stoppage time that the Hammers made sure of the win as Michail Antonio powerfully headed home a cross from Arnautovic.

Not surprisingly, Ranieri was upset about West Ham's equaliser.

"We created very good chances and it was a pity that the referee didn't see the handball. VAR is very important for next season," said the Italian.

"But we never give up. We concentrate now for the next match. It's important to recover very soon the energy and psychologically as well.

"I change so many times, five at the back, four, to try to find a solution. But when the other teams have more quality and more experience it's very tough. We continue to try to find the solution," he said.

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini admitted that Hernandez's goal should have been ruled out.

"From my position I couldn't see the handball, I have seen it since and it is handball. Nobody saw it very clearly at the time, there was not too many complaints. I don't think that the goal decided the game," he said.

"We started the game asleep, the first 10 minutes was unbelievable. After that we played a very good game. We scored three goals and had three or four clear chances," Pellegrini added.

Deulofeu hat-trick fires Watford to 5-1 win at Cardiff

Spaniard Gerard Deulofeu bagged a hat-trick as Watford hammered lowly Cardiff City 5-1 on Friday to move up to seventh place in the Premier League.

Deulofeu put Javi Gracia's side ahead in the 18th minute with a well-placed finish after a mistake from Cardiff defender Bruno Manga.

Cardiff should have had a penalty when Daryl Janmaat's rash challenge brought down Josh Murphy but Watford ran away with the game after the break.

Deulofeu made it 2-0 with a clinical finish, rounding Cardiff keeper Neil Etheridge after a swift break in the 61st minute.

The former Barcelona and Everton winger completed his hat-trick after more poor defending from Neil Warnock's side -- Harry Arta gave the ball away in midfield and Deulofeu's calm finish gave him Watford's first top-flight hat-trick since Mark Falco in 1986.

Deulofeu then turned creator, bursting into the box and unselfishly teeing up Troy Deeney for a simple tap-in as Watford romped into a four-goal advantage.

Cardiff, who are 17th and could fall back into the bottom three after this weekend's games, pulled a goal back through defender Sol Bamba, who bundled the ball in following a scramble at a corner.

But Watford added further punishment with Deeney's second in stoppage time after good work from Will Hughes.

"It was a very good performance," said Watford boss Gracia.

"To win here is not easy. To win like we did today was outstanding. I am very proud of all my players," added the Spanish manager.

"We found the spaces and scored different goals - in counter-attack and in possession games," he added.

Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said his players had been fuming over the denied penalty when they came in 1-0 down at the break.

"We got mauled in the end. It looks bad in the paper. I have never seen the players like that at halftime," he said.

"Everyone was talking about the penalty that hasn't been given. Nobody can understand it. Decisions like that change the game. I can't understand why it wasn't given, it's a blatant penalty.

"It's no excuse for conceding five but everyone in the game knows it changes things. If you can't give decisions like that at this level you shouldn't be refereeing."