Watford ended their lengthy record of defeats away from home as they beat Burnley 3-1 in a dominant performance on Sunday evening.

Goals from Andre Gray, Troy Deeney and Will Hughes secured all three points for the Hornets — but who were the top performers from the game?

Defence

Ben Foster: 6/10 - Enjoyed an uninterrupted afternoon for the majority of the game. The former West Brom keeper was mainly solid when called upon, however he was sometimes caught far out of position and was saved by the players in front of him.

Daryl Janmaat: 7/10 - Struggled to cope with Johann Gudmundsson in the first half, but kept him out of the game in the second. The Dutchman did well to carry the ball out of defence and support the midfielders as the team moved forward.

Christian Kabasele: 7/10 - The defender won headers aplenty and organised the defence well. A defender blessed with pace and strength, he was beaten to and knocked off the ball too easily but always amended his mistakes.

Craig Cathcart: 8/10 - He saved Foster from embarrassment as he cleared Chris Wood’s close-range shot off the line. Confident on the ball and never passing up the opportunity to tackle, Cathcart is forming quite the partnership with his Belgian teammate.

Jose Holebas: 7/10 - The left-back had a quieter afternoon than Janmaat as Burnley mainly attacked down Watford’s right. Nevertheless, he was reliable when called upon and linked up well down the left flank.

Midfield

Will Hughes: 8/10 - Looked much more comfortable on the right than he did last week against Brighton. Drifted inside from the wing to cause havoc in the Burnley defence. Hughes did well to pounce upon a stray pass from Matthew Lowton before driving the ball home for the Hornets’ third goal.

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Abdoulaye Doucouré: 8/10 - The Frenchman’s assist for Troy Deeney’s goal was nothing short of spectacular. An engine in midfield, Doucouré harried his opposition until the final whistle and sprayed passes left, right and centre.

Etienne Capoue: 7/10 - Overall a solid performance from Capoue, who looks very comfortable next to Doucouré and held the midfield well as his compatriot bombed forward. Should have done better to defend James Tarkowski’s goal though.

Roberto Pereyra: 7/10 - The Argentine was slightly quieter than in his standout performance against Brighton, but was still one of the livelier players on the pitch. Pulled off several fantastic pieces of skill to beat his full-back but struggled in end product.

Attack

Andre Gray: 7/10 - Having spent two years at Burnley before joining Watford, Gray will have been delighted to score on his return to Turf Moor — and what a goal it was, too. The striker should probably have come home with a brace after skewing a free volley towards the end of the first half, but does look to be a reformed player this season.

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Troy Deeney: 9/10 - His best performance in yellow and black for quite a while, he set up Gray’s goal and took his own incredibly well. Deeney was a constant pain for the Burnley defence, using his strength and deceiving degree of skill to devastating effect. Another player that looks revitalised under Javi Gracia’s management.

Substitutes

Ken Sema: 6/10 - Had little opportunities to impact the game as Watford were set on defence by the time of his substitution onto the pitch. Won several headers and looks a physical powerhouse. The Swede will be hoping for more game time in the near future.

Kiko Femenía: 6/10 - Came on for goalscorer Hughes in order to shore up the defence as Watford saw out the lead, which he did. No glaring criticisms or positives from his ten-minute cameo.

Isaac Success: 5/10 - His only action was an unnecessary altercation with Lowton in the dying moments of the match. Another player that will be eager to earn more minutes.

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About the author
Jake Horwood
Watford season ticket holder in the Rookery Stand and frequent attendee of away games.