Watford record their first win back in the top flight of English football, courtesy of a goal from Odion Ighalo. The home side were reduced to ten men in the second half, however they held on to record a vital maiden Premier League win under Quique Flores.

The home side dominated the early exchanges, and came close to opening the scoring through Sebastian Prodl. The towering centre back volleyed narrowly over the crossbar from 18-yards, after Federico Fernandez had failed to adequately clear an Ikechi Anya cross.

Moments later, Almen Abdi saw his 20-yard effort from the left of the penalty area deflect off the shin of Neil Taylor and trickle wide of Lukasz Fabianski’s right post. 

Despite struggling to find a route into the game, Swansea City’s top scorer Bafetimbi Gomis almost gave the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute. The French international latched onto the ball on the edge of the Watford penalty area, before turning past Craig Cathcart and unleashing a venomous effort goal-ward. Gomis’s subsequent effort on goal however, was palmed clear of danger by Heurelho Gomes at his left post. 

Swansea City, after struggling to gain a foothold during the opening thirty minutes of the game, finally began to control the tempo in the final fifthteen minutes of the first half. Gomis, once again, proved to be the Swans’s greatest offensive threat as the 30-year-old searched for his fifth goal in five games at the start of the season. The forward’s effort from the edge of the six-yard box, after the ball was fizzed into the near post area by Andre Ayew, was however, well gathered by Gomes in the Watford goal. 

The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with Watford pressing forward in search of their first goal at Vicarage Road this year. Odion Ighalo, in particular, was lively for the Hornets in the offensive third. The 26-year-old, after being played through by Abdi on the right of the penalty area, shot narrowly wide of the near post.

Watford deservedly took the lead through Ighalo, in the 58th minute. A long punt forward by Heurelho Gomes fell to Troy Deeney on the left hand side of the penalty area, who was subsequently able to brilliantly head the ball across goal and into the path of the onrushing Ighalo. The forward, after controlling the ball, slipped the ball past Fabianski in the Swansea City goal to record Watford’s first goal at Vicarage Road this season.

Just three minutes after going ahead, Watford were reduced to ten men, when Valon Behrami was shown a straight red for a shocking challenge on Ayew. The Swiss international missed the ball and appeared to nastily stamp on Ayew’s knee. The Premier League player of the month, miraculously, was able to continue after the challenge.

Although down to ten men, Quique Flores’ men largely dealt with Swansea City’s offensive threat with relative ease. In the final ten minutes, it was Watford who looked the more likely to grab the second goal of the game. A quick counter attack led by Etienne Capoue looked certain to culminate in Jose Jurado’s maiden Premier League goal; however, Capoue was unable to feed the ball through to the unmarked trequartista on the right of the penalty area, and the ball was subsequently cleared of danger.

With the Swans pressing forward in numbers, Watford countered effectively once again, coming excruciatingly close to doubling their lead. The Hornets’s broke quickly after clearing a Shelvey corner kick; however after the ball was played across to Jurado on the right hand side of the Swansea penalty area, the Spaniard could only find the mid-riff of Fabianski with a subsequent side-footed effort on goal. 

In the final minute of additional time, Fernandez spurned a glorious chance to snatch a late draw at Vicarage Road. The former Napoli man was found unmarked at the back post by Jefferson Montero, but his headed effort on goal flew well wide of the Gomes’ left post.

The win sees Watford rise to 12th in the Premier League table; while Swansea City drop out of the top four.

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About the author
Jack  Gallagher
Member of the VAVEL writing team since June 2012, and became editor-in-chief of the UK edition in June 2013. English and History at QUB.