Middlesbrough loanee nets first-ever goal to set Hornets on way to Portsmouth win

The victory was the Hornets’ fourth in succession – the first time since October 2007 they have achieved that feat – and, in each of those wins, they have found the back of the net at least three times.

A first-half that had been fairly low key and largely devoid of chances burst into life three minutes before the interval when the unlikely figure of Andrew Taylor made the breakthrough in stunning fashion with his first senior goal.

The left-back's magnificent volley was also the best way to sign off should this be his last appearance at Vicarage Road, with his loan from Middlesbrough due to expire after Monday's trip to Scunthorpe United.

That goal put the Hornets in pole position and it was game over with 20 minutes of the match still remaining after Marvin Sordell had calmly despatched his second in as many games, while the Championship’s leading scorer of 2010, Danny Graham, made it a super six goals in four outings with his 15th of the campaign to surpass last season’s tally in a yellow shirt.

Following their superb 4-1 win over Cardiff City, there was no surprise that Malky Mackay stuck with the same starting line-up. Indeed, there were no changes to the match-day 18, with Troy Deeney still sidelined by an ankle problem and Lee Hodson ill.

It was the visitors who had the first sight of goal after 80 seconds when Lloyd Doyley failed to deal with a free-kick played up to the edge of the area and John Utaka laid the ball inside to Dave Nugent, but he curled a right-footed 20-yard shot over.

Pompey, playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kanu sitting at the head of central midfield, continued to shade the opening exchanges, with Nadir Ciftci making Scott Loach go to ground to save a tame angled shot in the eighth minute.

The hosts, uncharacteristically, had not made their normal full throttle start, but three minutes later Sordell received a Jordon Mutch pass towards the right side of the area before cutting inside and firing a left-foot shot over.

The visitors had the next chance in the 15th minute when, following their first corner, the ball was worked short and back to the left angle of the area where Greg Halford fired wide of the near post.

Don Cowie then made a fine challenge in his own six-yard box to prevent the ball breaking for Nugent after Kanu had threatened to wriggle his way through, while at the other end Jamie Ashdown had to dive to his left to push away a Graham shot after the hosts’ top scorer had found himself in space in the area.

Sordell produced some neat footwork to open up a shooting opportunity, with his effort being blocked in the 21st minute as Watford continued to try and look for a way through their opponents, who were content to get bodies behind the ball when not in possession.

This resulted in the Hornets increasingly taking charge of the exchanges and in the 28th minute it took a fine defensive intervention to prevent Sordell latching on to Graham’s flick and being through on the goal.

Soon after, the home side had a penalty appeal turned down when Will Buckley, who was again proving a thorn in the opposition’s side, went down as Carl Dickinson sought to challenge, but the contact, if there was any, was minimal.

But it was Buckley who spurned arguably the game’s best chance to date in the 37th minute when, after Andrew Taylor had crossed from the left, Graham peeled off at the back post to intelligently nod the ball down, and the former Rochdale man ran on to it, but could not keep his right-footed strike beneath the bar.

Buckley was heavily involved again when, after taking on Dickinson on the right, his cross fell for Graham on the opposite side of the 18-yard box. Although the striker’s first pass came to nothing, the ball came back to him and he played a more dangerous delivery across the six-yard box but no team-mate was able to get a touch.

But three minutes before the interval Watford made the breakthrough – and it was a moment for the scorer to savour, as well as all of a yellow-shirted allegiance who witnessed it.

The danger appeared to have been cleared when Ashdown punched the Hornets’ sixth corner of the half away to the edge of the area, but Andrew Taylor met the dropping ball with an exquisite left-foot volley that flew back past the helpless Pompey keeper. Not only did it put Watford in front at the break, but it was also the left-back’s first goal in his 169th senior appearance.

The Hornets started the second period at a better tempo, but no chances were forthcoming until the 52nd minute when the hosts doubled their advantage.

Andrew Taylor was again involved, this time playing the ball up to Graham, who hit a first-time pass round the corner to put Sordell, who had timed his run to perfection, clean through on goal. The young striker still had plenty of work to do, with at least 35 yards between him and the posts, but he kept his head and calmly rolled it wide of Ashdown and inside his left-hand post to make it 2-0 and score his ninth of the campaign.

Dickinson was rightly booked in the 57th minute for a blatant trip on Buckley before the Hornets nearly pulled off a great move from the training ground, with Mutch chipping a corner towards the near post for Doyley to run onto and glance across the face of goal.

However, the hosts suffered a blow on the hour when skipper John Eustace, who was making his 100th appearance for the club, was forced off with an injury and replaced by Ross Jenkins. At the same time, Tom Kilbey came on for Ciftci.

Watford were now buzzing though, and it took a desperate defensive intervention to prevent Mutch’s dangerous ball across the box from reaching Sordell soon after, although the visitors showed they were not beaten yet when Loach had to claw away a dangerous cross-shot from Joel Ward. But that belief was ended in the 69th minute.

After Mutch had down well to win the ball in midfield, he threaded a lovely pin-point pass through the heart of the Pompey defence and this time it was Graham’s turn to time his run to perfection, running on to the ball before sliding it wide of Ashdown and making it 3-0 to continue his purple patch.

Utaka’s frustration got the better of him after 74 minutes when he was booked for a foul on Andrew Taylor, but by now the Hornets were in complete cruise control and they nearly made it four when Mutch fizzed a dangerous ball across the six-yard box that was just too strong for Graham.

Steve Cotterill gave Hermann Hreidarsson a run out for the last five minutes as a replacement for Ibrahima Sonko and then Matt Whichelow came on for Buckley.

Pompey did have a chance to snatch a consolation with two minutes left when Nugent met Halford’s cross from the right with a downward header, but Loach was comfortably behind the ball after it bounced.

However, Halford then compounded Cotterill’s selection woes by flying into a challenge on Andrew Taylor and, after both players had squared up to each other, he then seemed to put his head into the Watford left-back’s face.

Referee Andy D’Urso wasted no time in getting out the red card, but while the dust was settling after that incident Gavin Massey came on for Sordell.

However, nothing could detract from another impressive performance by the Hornets as they stretched their unbeaten run to a sixth match.

Watford: Loach; Doyley, Mariappa, M Taylor, A Taylor; Eustace (Jenkins 60); Buckley (Whichelow 87), Mutch, Cowie; Sordell (Massey 90), Graham. Not used: Walker, Gilmartin, Bennett and Thompson.

Portsmouth: Ashdown; Halford, Sonko (Hreidarsson 85), Mokoena, Dickinson; Ward, Mullins; Ciftci (Kilbey 60), Kanu, Utaka; Nugent. Not used: Rocha and Flahavan.

Bookings: Dickinson for a foul on Buckley after 57 mins; Utaka for a foul on Andrew Taylor after 74 mins; Halford for a foul on Andrew Taylor after 90 mins – sent off.

Attendance: 12,577.

Referee: Andy D’Urso.