Watford have returned to winning ways after battling to a narrow 1-0 victory over fellow Championship top-ten side Blackburn Rovers at Vicarage Road.
A second-half penalty from Edo Kayembe – his fifth goal of the season – proved to be the difference in a game in which clear-cut chances were in short supply.
Here are five talking points we’ve selected after the Hornets made it five wins from six home games this season.
You can tell us what you think by using the comments facility on this page.
Home comforts
The defeats at Luton and Leeds extended Watford’s current bout of travel sickness but a return home resulted in another three points courtesy of Kayembe’s second-half penalty.
The victory ensured Tom Cleverley remains unbeaten as a head coach at Vicarage Road but – location aside – it was clearly important the Hornets got back on track after successive defeats.
What was your view of Watford’s performance?
Keeping the opposition at bay
You have to go back more than two months, and ten league games, for the last time Watford kept a clean sheet in the Championship, so this afternoon’s ‘0’ against Blackburn’s name on the scoreboard was a very welcome sight.
The Hornets deserve credit for a solid defensive showing, although Lady Luck played her part in that with a huge let-off in the ninth minute when Dominic Hyam hit both crossbar and post with one effort and Rovers having a poor day in front of goal.
What did you think of the Hornets’ defensive display?
A confidence boost?
Cleverley, as expected, stuck with Dan Bachmann between the posts after his ten-minute horror show at Elland Road on Tuesday, but for a moment it looked like the goalkeeper would be holding his hands up again after nervously pushing a low cross back into the heart of the penalty area inside the opening ten minutes.
It looked odds-on that Hyam would convert the opportunity but on this occasion fate decided that his strike should hit almost every part of the goal apart from the net.
Bachmann dealt with Makhtar Gueye’s follow-up header and after that had a relatively trouble-free game as he helped secure the three points and a clean sheet which will hopefully help his confidence.
How do you feel the Watford keeper played?
Keeping a calm head
When Watford were awarded a penalty after Ryan Hedges handled in the 18-yard box, attention quickly turned to who would take responsibility for the spot-kick in Tom Dele-Bashiru’s absence.
Kayembe placed the ball on the spot but was then made to wait for at least a minute as referee Darren England checked all the other players were outside the area before making the midfielder re-spot the ball.
Such a delay can get into a player’s head, but Kayembe retained his composure and calmly sent keeper Aynsley Pears the wrong way to score the decisive goal.
How impressed were you with the way Kayembe handled the situation?
Fast Festy
After impressing in the defeat at Leeds, Festy Ebosele retained his place in the starting XI and more than justified it with a performance that earned him the man-of-the-match award.
It was the wing-back’s attacking qualities that caught the eye in the first half – one seriously rapid raid to latch onto a Giorgi Chakvetadze pass left Owen Beck floundering before a cross which set up a chance for Kwadwo Baah was arguably the highlight – but after the break it was more about the defensive side of his game as he helped keep Rovers at bay.
Was Ebosele your man of the match as well?
Remember, you can tell us what you think by using the comments facility on this page.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel