Watford moved from seventh to fourth in the Championship table after Vakoun Bayo’s second-half goal earned the Hornets a 1-0 victory at home to Oxford.
Tom Cleverley’s hosts moved above Burnley, West Brom and Millwall thanks to a 54th-minute strike from the Ivory Coast forward, who had scored four times at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend but only once before that this term.
Greg Leigh fired the game’s first shot over the Watford bar before play was stopped at the other end following Kwadwo Baah’s challenge on Oxford goalkeeper Jamie Cumming, who required treatment.
The game was halted again not long after when Watford’s Mattie Pollock was hurt. The defender, who signed a contract extension earlier in the day committing him to the club until 2029, was also able to continue.
Oxford appealed for penalty when Ruben Rodrigues went down with James Morris having had a grip on his opponent’s shirt, but referee Anthony Backhouse was unmoved.
Tyler Goodrham saw a speculative Oxford effort bounce wide before Bayo poked Watford’s first clear chance over. A flag went up for offside anyway – wrongly, replays showed.
Ryan Porteous was booked for tripping Goodrham as Dane Scarlett sought to send him clear, and the hosts were relieved when Peter Kioso fired across goal and wide after a quick one-two had opened up the Watford defence.
Cumming almost gifted the Hornets an opener when his attempt to play out from the back was intercepted by Edo Kayembe but the goalkeeper was able to rush out and clear in time.
Oxford required Ciaron Brown to head off the line in first-half stoppage time and prevent Giorgi Chakvetadze’s corner from going straight in, as the opening period ended goalless.
Kioso did just enough to put Festy Ebosele off in mid-shot early in the second period but a misplaced pass from Scarlett allowed Watford to break the deadlock nine minutes after the interval.
Ryan Andrews’ interception reached Baah just inside his own half and the winger out-paced Brown down the right flank before squaring for Bayo. Cumming parried his first attempt but the striker despatched the rebound.
Oxford should have levelled in the 71st minute when Porteous headed an attempted clearance straight at team-mate Pollock. The ricochet fell perfectly for Hidde ter Avest, who had just come on for Kioso, but the Dutchman could not beat goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann from inside the six-yard box.
Bachmann also denied another Oxford substitute, Mark Harris, after Cumming had stuck out a leg at the other end to prevent Bayo doubling Watford’s lead.
Harris was handed an even better chance late on but sent an overhead kick over the bar after Watford failed to clear a free-kick.
[(Crystal Palace F.C.) Strength]: 1. Crystal Palace F.C. won the FA Cup last season, earning them a spot in the FA Community Shield. The team will go all out for victory in this match to add another trophy to their cabinet, showing strong determination.2. In the summer transfer window, Crystal Palace F.C. only made a low-cost signing of defender Borna Sosa and signed goalkeeper Walter Benitez on a...
[(Degerfors IF) Strength]: 1. Degerfors IF are deep in the relegation zone, ranking 15th in the league table and 6 points away from the safe zone. In this home match, they are motivated to grab points to avoid relegation.2. Degerfors IF won the last 2 league games against BK Hacken, including a 1-0 win in the last home game.[(Degerfors IF) Weakness]: 1. Degerfors IF suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat ...
[(Zhejiang Professional F.C.) Strength]: 1. Zhejiang Professional F.C. are 6th in the table and on a 3-game winning streak. They will go all out to continue winning in this game, indicating strong motivation.2. Alexandru Mitrita scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team win.3. Zhejiang Professional F.C. won 4-2 over Shenzhen Peng City in the last game, securing a 3-game w...
[(AFC Ajax) Strength]: 1. As the traditional giants in the Eredivisie, AFC Ajax narrowly missed out on last season's title by just one point, finishing as runners-up. This season, they are determined to reclaim the championship. Additionally, with ambitions to perform well in the Champions League, a strong start in the league is crucial, and they aim to secure an opening victory at home to build m...
[(Wuhan Three Towns FC) Strength]: 1. Wuhan Three Towns FC are currently 11th in the league table. The team have not won in five consecutive matches and urgently need a victory to get back on the winning track. They are highly motivated in this game.2. Alexandru Tudorie has made 17 appearances in the league this season and scored 9 goals, making him the top scorer of the team.3. Wuhan Three Towns ...
[(FC Utrecht) Strength]: 1. In the first round of the new season's league, FC Utrecht will strive for a win to get off to a good start at home, so their fighting spirit is beyond doubt.2. In the just-concluded UEFA Europa League match, Siebe Horemans performed well, scoring the goal that turned the score around and ultimately helping his team win.3. FC Utrecht won 3-1 against Servette in the last ...
[(IFK Norrkoping) Strength]: 1. IFK Norrkoping have been in poor form recently and are currently at the lower level of the league table, with only a five-point lead over the relegation play-offs. The team are in urgent need of points at home to improve their ranking and reduce the risk of relegation, so they are motivated.2. IFK Norrkoping's recent offensive performance has been decent. They have ...
[(PEC Zwolle) Strength]: 1. PEC Zwolle finished 10th in the Eredivisie last season. The team clearly hope to achieve better results and improve their ranking in the new season. Playing at home in the first game, PEC Zwolle are eager to get off to a good start and lay a solid foundation for the new season.2. PEC Zwolle have made some signings in the summer transfer window, with goalkeeper Tom de Gr...
[(AIK Solna) Strength]: 1. AIK Solna currently ranked fifth in the Allsvenskan, with only a two-point gap from the European competition zone. Playing at home this time, AIK Solna are eager to continue their unbeaten record at home and strive for three points to improve their ranking.2. AIK Solna have been winning consecutive games in the UEFA Conference League recently, achieving two consecutive v...
[(Hertha BSC Berlin) Strength]: 1. Hertha BSC Berlin lost 2-1 to FC Schalke 04 in the first league game on the road. They urgently need to find their form at home, indicating undoubted motivation in this game.2. Hertha BSC Berlin scored 16 goals in the last 7 games, averaging over 2 goals per game, which demonstrated decent overall attack.3. Hertha BSC Berlin beat Karlsruher SC twice in the 2. Bun...
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