Hornets claim points with second-half sting
Watford claimed all three points after an improved second-half display saw it beat Oxford United 1-0 in an EFL Championship arm wrestle at Vicarage Road.
Vakoun Bayo scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute after he turned in the rebound of his own saved shot.
It is the fifth goal he has scored in three games, having also netted four times in the Hornets' 6-2 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.
The hosts registered 12 shots, seven of which were on target, as they upped the pressure after the break.
They only had four attempts in the first half, but Ciaron Brown had to clear an in-swinging Watford corner off his own goalline on the stroke of half-time.
The three points lifted Watford up to fourth on the Championship table ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures, and manager Tom Cleverley was pleased with the marked improvement he saw in the second 45 minutes.
"I thought the second-half performance was really good until the last five minutes really," he said.
"I thought we didn't manage the game as well as we could do and a few refereeing decisions – dubious one that went against us – meant they could get the ball in our box.
"So, it felt a bit hands to the pump at the end, but I thought for the first 35 minutes of the second half, we were absolutely fantastic and were unlucky not to make it two, three.
"Understandably flat performance in the first half, probably from both teams with it being such a demanding week.
"But I thought our second-half performance in the main deserved the three points and our supporters helped us through."
Oxford remains 16th off the back of this result and has now won only one of its past 10 matches in the Championship.
It failed to register a single shot on target in the first half, and is yet to win a game when conceding the opening goal in the league this season, with this the fifth such match it has gone behind.
It was Oxford's sixth defeat of the season and while manager Des Buckingham said there were positives to take, he was left frustrated by their lack of a clinical edge.
"I'm extremely proud but extremely frustrated," he said.
"I'm disappointed we haven't come away with something. I felt we created enough, we just haven't taken them. If we keep playing that way, we will be fine.
"We speak about being a together group. We did well, but Watford took their chance."
