Watford looked more like their usual selves as they ended a run of four successive defeats to move within eight points of the 40-mark by beating Newcastle United for a third time this season this afternoon, 2-1 at Vicarage Road.

Following the two disappointing performances at Southampton and Swansea City, the Hornets took a while to settle down. But with Jose Manuel Jurado moved inside into his best position and affecting proceedings positively, the Hornets gradually got the upper hand in a goalless first half in which they couldn’t quite find the quality of composure where it mattered in front of goal.

But after Etienne Capoue had spurned the best chance of the opening 45 minutes when he was denied by Rob Elliot but should have scored, the home side made the breakthrough less than a minute after the restart when Troy Deeney set Odion Ighalo scampering free to get back among the goals.

A second followed 12 minutes and once again the Hornets front pairing were involved, this time Deeney with a header and Ighalo with the control and lay off to set up Craig Cathcart for his first of the season.

Jamaal Lascelles gave the visitors hope with 19 minutes to go when he headed in a Jonjo Shelvey corner but despite a couple of anxious moments – and Capoue missing his second fine chance of the game – the Hornets held on to secure their first top-flight home and away double since beating Arsenal in the 1987/88 season and moved back into the top ten.

Quique Sanchez Flores made just the one change from the side that was beaten at Swansea City on Monday, with Juan Carlos Paredes replacing Allan Nyom. The right-back dropped to a bench that also featured new signings Nordin Amrabat and Costel Pantilimon.

Newcastle gained their first win in seven outings in all competitions by beating West Ham United last weekend, but Steve McClaren had to shuffle his pack and made three changes, two of which were enforced.

The Magpies’ lack of defensive numbers were well documented before the game with the injured Paul Dummett and Jack Colback, who both started against the Hammers, adding to McClaren’s lack of numbers at the back, while Ayoze Perez dropped to the bench. In came Lascelles for his first Premier League start, new signing Henri Saivet made his full debut and Rolando Aarons featured for the first time since coming off the bench in Newcastle’s 2-1 home defeat against the Hornets in September.

Despite being advertised as a 4-4-2 pre-match, the visitors started in a 3-4-2-1 formation and they had the first opening in the third minute as Giorgino Wijnaldum won possession in the Hornets’ box before laying the ball back to Aarons, who curled a shot wide with the outside of his left boot.

It wasn’t only Newcastle who’d changed things tactically though, as the Hornets switched to more of a 4-3-1-2 shape, with Jurado operating centrally behind Deeney and Ighalo.

Watford Observer:

Both sides were seeking to attack in the opening stages but chances were thin on the ground, although Capoue nearly gifted the visitors one when his wayward cross-field pass was latched onto by Aleksandar Mitrovic, who slipped it to Moussa Sissoko. The midfielder broke forward before feeding Wijaaldum to his left but he was unable to pick out a teammate with a low ball back across the area.

Watford responded with Deeney seeing a scuffed shot blocked before they missed a great chance to take the lead in the 18th minute.

Ighalo took advantage of some lax Newcastle play on their right to break into the area and after weighing up his options, he played the ball to Deeney whose side-footed effort was only parried back out to Elliot. Capoue was first to the rebound on the right side of the six-yard box and although the Newcastle keeper took credit for reacting and saving the rebound, he really shouldn’t have been afforded the opportunity too.

Watford Observer:

Paredes wastefully fired over from 20 yards before Heurelho Gomes was called into meaningful action for the first time, doing very well to deflect an attempted placed finish from Mitrovic over his own bar with his feet after the striker had been fed by Sissoko.

In general though, the opening 30 minutes had been better from Watford. Their tempo was higher while their ball retention and usage was more effective than against Southampton and, for certainly the opening period, at Swansea as well.

The Hornets’ next opportunity came in the 35th minute when Jurado, who had been affecting the game positively and finding some nice pockets of space behind the front two, lifted the ball over the defence to Deeney. The Hornets’ captain opted not to take it first time on his left foot but came back inside and after he couldn’t work a shooting chance, he laid it back to the Spaniard who curled a left-footed effort over.

Watford Observer:

That was to be the last of the home side’s first-half chances as they continued to be the better side until the interval, although there were a couple of nervous moments at the other end when Jonjo Shelvey and, in the last play of the half, Daryl Janmaat played a couple of dangerous balls across the face of the six-yard box.

But within 50 seconds of the restart Watford’s first-half promise was to be translated into the opening goal and it was the Deeney-Ighalo partnership that did the damage once again.

The Hornets’ skipper was the creator with a lovely pass into his strike partner, who seemingly timed his run to perfection to get the better of the visitors’ attempts at playing offside and rounded Elliot before sliding the ball home for his 14th of the season to make it 1-0.

Watford Observer:

Newcastle tried to response instantly with Mitrovic dangerously glancing a header across the face of goal, but back came the Hornets with Ighalo playing the ball back for Deeney, who pulled a shot wide of the near post.

Chancel Mbemba was the first player to be booked for a foul on Deeney in the 51st minute and he was soon joined by Valon Beharmi, who went down far too easily in the area after feeling minimal contact from Fabricio Coloccini and saw yellow for diving in the opinion of referee Andre Marriner.

Watford were looking relatively comfortable at 1-0 but in the 58th minute they established clear daylight over their visitors.

The goal originated from a Ben Watson free-kick which Elliot initially punched clear under pressure to the right side of the area where Miguel Britos crossed back in first time and Deeney headed down. It at first looked like Ighalo might shape to spin and hit it but after bringing the ball under control he teed up Cathcart to finish nicely on the volley to double his side’s advantage.

Watford Observer:

McClaren was already preparing a double change before the goal and he made it before play restarted, with Perez and Yoan Gouffran coming on for Aarons and Saivet respectively.

Newcastle spurned a great chance to get back into the game in the 64th minute when Sissoko crossed from the right and Mitrovic was allowed a clear run into the area to, fortunately for the Hornets’ sake, head over the target.

Britos saw yellow for a foul on Mitrovic in the 68th minute but not before Jurado had picked out Ighalo with a cross from the left, but the Nigerian striker got his bearings wrong and headed the ball back in the direction it came.

The Hornets had already survived one let off from slack marking but they didn’t get lucky for a second time in the 71st minute.

Watford Observer:

It was all too simple really as Shelvey played in a corner from the right and Lascelles was allowed to climb highest unchallenged and head down and past Gomes to reduce the deficit to 2-1.

Another opening for the visitors followed a few minutes later when Perez got first run on Behrami to get on the end of a Wijanldum through ball but he fired over the top.

Jurado’s good afternoon came to an end in the 77th minute when he was replaced by Almen Abdi.

Soon after, Ighalo had the chance to net a second after at first out-muscling and then beating Lascelles for skill after Deeney had nodded the ball through, but he was thwarted by a good Elliot save at his near post.

Watford Observer:

With Newcastle continuing to knock at the door, Capoue missed his second fine chance of the game with five minutes remaining having showed superb determination to create what was effectively an opportunity out of nothing.

The French midfielder initially picked up the ball near the edge of his 18-yard box but instead of trying to pick out the more advanced Ighalo, he surged upfield before going shoulder-to-shoulder with Gouffran and finally got the better of his opponent to open up a shooting opportunity. But with Abdi wide open and better placed inside of him, Capoue opted to go it alone and fired high across the face of goal and wide.

Both sides made a change with two minutes to go; Emmanuel Riviere coming on for Coloccini while Nyom replaced Paredes. Amrabat was also give his first appearance in yellow as an injury-time replacement for Deeney.

Newcastle kept pushing though, with Riviere heading wide from a cross but that was to be their last chance as the Hornets completed their third victory over the Magpies this season.

Watford Observer:

Watford: Gomes; Paredes (Nyom 88), Britos, Cathcart, Ake; Capoue, Watson; Behrami; Jurado (Abdi 77); Deeney (Amrabat 90), Ighalo. Not used: Pantilimon, Prodl, Guedioura, Anya.

Newcastle United: Elliot; Lascelles, Coloccini (Riviere 88), Mbemba; Janmaat, Shelvey, Saivet (Perez 58), Aarons (Gouffran 58); Sissoko, Wijnaldum; Mitrovic. Not used: Darlow, Thauvin, S Taylor, Marveaux, Bookings: Mbemba for a foul on Deeney (51); Behrami for simulation (56); Britos for a foul on Mitrovic (68).

Attendance: 20,611 (2,165 away fans).

Referee: Andre Marriner.