Watford are back on top of the Championship and have opened up a two-point cushion after beating Millwall 3-1 at Vicarage Road and seeing other results go their way.

The Hornets had to recover from an early setback as Martyn Woolford fired the Lions into a 12th-minute lead. But the home side had regained control of the contest by the interval, at least in terms of the scoreline, as Matej Vydra equalised following a lovely Keith Andrews pass and then Daniel Tozser blasted in a free-kick in injury time.

The hosts weren’t at the best throughout the contest but were relatively comfortable after the break and established some daylight when Gianni Munari fired in the third.

The high-flying Hornets came into the game off the back of an eight-game unbeaten run but seeking a first win in three outings.

Watford Observer:

Slavisa Jokanovic made three changes from the side that drew 1-1 at Middlesbrough, welcoming back skipper Troy Deeney for his first start in eight matches. Keeper Heurelho Gomes was also fit to return, while Keith Andrews came into a 4-3-2-1 formation. Jonathan Bond and Fernando Forestieri dropped to the bench, while Ikechi Anya was ruled out with a dead leg.

Despite recording a first win in nine with a 1-0 victory over Cardiff City, Ian Holloway also made three changes, with two coming in defence.

Hornets old boy Dan Shittu and Mark Beevers both dropped to the bench, with their places taken by Byron Webster and Alan Dunne. The other alteration saw Woolford come in for Lee Gregory, who was not involved.

Following the poignant remembrance commemoration, Watford were quickly out of the blocks and had the visitors penned back inside their own half for the opening five minutes.

Milwall then had a couple of minutes when they pushed the Hornets back, as the match continued at a relentless pace. But it was the hosts who had the first chance of note in the eighth minute when Vydra put Deeney away down the right, he then laid the ball into the right side of the penalty area where the Czech Republic striker played a one-touch pass back to his captain, but Deeney’s finish lacked the power to really test David Forde.

But any promising early signs from the Hornets came to a abrupt halt in the 12th minute when Scott McDonald found Woolford in the centre of the penalty area, he stepped inside Joel Ekstrand before slotting the ball past the helpless Gomes to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.

Watford were soon back on the offensive, with Vydra setting Juan Carlos Paredes away on the right side of the area and he came inside before hitting an angled right-footed shot that was kept out by the legs of Forde.

Watford Observer:

The Lions keeper was the first player to be booked in the 22nd minute for dissent and the home side should have had another chance three minutes later when Vydra slipped the ball to Munari, who could have put Deeney in the clear had he weighted the pass correctly, but the Italian over-hit the ball.

Jokanovic’s men were struggling to get into a rhythm, not having the control of the ball they would like and being sloppy at times when they did have the opportunity to try and use it productively.

The home side’s prospects also suffered some unwanted disruption in the 32nd minute when they lost Sebastien Bassong to injury and he was replaced by Tommie Hoban. Prior to that, Tozser had whipped a free-kick across the target and wide from around 25 yards.

Former Hornets loanee Matthew Briggs was booked for clearly pulling back Odion Ighalo in the 35th minute. But from the resulting free-kick the Hornets nearly levelled as Andrews rolled the ball short to Tozser, whose attempted delivery ricocheted off a Millwall defender to Igahlo and his low strike was diverted behind by a fine save from Forde.

That was close but from the corner the Hornets did get back on terms as the ball was worked out to Andrews on the edge of the area and he played a delicious chipped pass with the outside of his right foot that flummoxed the Millwall defence and Vydra stole in to rather scuff the ball past Forde to make it 1-1.

Fresh from scoring the equaliser, Vydra was soon to test Forde again with a stinging right-footed effort from the left side of the area, before glancing a header across the face of goal and narrowly wide from the resultant corner.

Watford were looking better since equalising, but they perhaps got away with one four minutes before the break when Ricardo Fuller got in behind Ekstrand on the right side of the penalty area and there looked to be contact before the striker went to ground. Referee Robert Madley waved away the appeals but Fuller was distinctly unimpressed and was booked for his protests.

Watford Observer:

Ian Holloway had already been in the ear of the fourth official on more than one occasion and the Millwall manager’s mood would not have improved with what happened shortly before the interval.

The referee awarded the Hornets a free-kick on the very edge of the 18-yard box after adjudging Dunne, who was the last man, had fouled Deeney. Any offence though, looked to have taken place inside the penalty area and the Lions also felt the Hornets skipper was the player at fault.

Either way, when the protests had died down, Tozser decided power was the best option and blasted a left-footed free-kick into the net to put the Hornets 2-1 to the good at the interval.

The hosts didn’t really get going immediately after the restart and Millwall had the first chance of the second period when a corner from the right was headed down and wide by Woolford.

But Watford sprung back into life 12 minutes after the restart when some lovely one-touch play between Ighalo and Deeney saw the latter almost put Vydra through on goal but Forde was alive to the danger and was able to clear the ball first.

Holloway made his first change on the hour mark when Briggs was replaced by Scott Malone and then Hoban was booked for a blatant trip on Lee Martin.

But the daylight the Hornets sought came in the 64th minute when following a free-kick, Vydra was sent away down the left and he pulled the ball back for Munari, who didn’t break stride as he hit a first-time right-footed volley beyond Forde to make it 3-1.

Watford Observer:

Millwall’s second change came in the 70th minute when Magaye Gueye replaced Fuller and then Vydra made way for Lloyd Dyer. But the Hornets needed a goalline clearance from Daniel Pudil to maintain their two-goal advantage after Woolford had managed to fire in a shot from the left side of the area.

Pudil was replaced by Lloyd Doyley with 11 minutes to go after Shaun Williams horribly mis-hit a back pass which, fortunately for him, went wide of goal as Forde scrambled back.

The substitutions were completed with seven minutes remaining as Aiden O’Brien came on for Martin. Another opportunity for the visitors followed when a corner was driven in from the left and Dunne met it with a firm header which Gomes tipped over.

Watford might have added a fourth late on when they countered at pace with Paredes leading the charge. But the Ecuadorian seemed to get caught in two minds as he got into the penalty area and ultimately saw a wild shot deflected behind.

Watford: Gomes; Paredes, Ekstrand, Bassong (Hoban 32), Pudil (Doyley 79); Andrews, Tozser, Munari; Vydra (Dyer 72), Ighalo; Deeney. Not used: Bond, McGugan, Forestieri, Murray.

Millwall: Forde; Wilkinson, Webster, Dunne, Briggs (Malone 60); Upson, Williams; Martin (O’Brien 83), McDonald, Woolford; Fuller (Gueye 70). Not used: King, Shittu, Beevers, Chaplow.

Bookings: Forde for dissent (22); Briggs for a foul on Ighalo (35); Fuller for dissent (42); Dunne for a foul on Deeney (45); Hoban for a foul on Martin (62); Williams for a foul on Ighalo (90).

Attendance: 17,000 (1,797 away).

Referee: Robert Madley.