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.
Arsenal have been chasing RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko for a year, and the Slovenia international has now rejected a move to Saudi Arabia in order to play at the Club World CupBenjamin Sesko could be on his way to ArsenalArsenal are set to press ahead with their pursuit of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, after the Slovenian international snubbed a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in time for...
Bryan Mbeumo has a big decision to make over his future as Manchester United and Tottenham battle to sign the Brentford forward in a £60million transferThomas Frank is keen to take Bryan Mbeumo to TottenhamEx-Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster has urged Bryan Mbeumo to opt for a switch to Tottenham over a possible £60 million transfer to United.The tug-of-war for the sought-after Br...
Real Madrid will complete their deal for Franco Mastantuono after the youngster competes at the Club World Cup with River Plate.Mastantuono to join Real Madrid later this summerWill first play at Club World CupRiver Plate star has €45m release clauseWHAT HAPPENED?Real Madrid will sign River Plate wonderkid Mastantuono after the Club World Cup, according to Fabrizio Romano. Los Blancos beat C...
Liverpool seal record Wirtz dealLiverpool have secured a deal to sign Florian Wirtz for a British record €150m fee.Fabrizio Romano reports that the German will now head to Merseyside for a medical as he closes in on a move from Bayer Leverkusen.Gittens named in Dortmund squadJamie Gittens has been named in Borussia Dortmund's squad for the Club World Cup, after a move to Chelsea fell through...
Tottenham are pursuing Brentford manager Thomas Frank after sacking Ange Postecoglou (Image: GETTY)Thomas Frank is said to be keen to take Bryan Mbeumo and Nathan Collins to Tottenham with him if he quits Brentford to take charge of Spurs. Tottenham are eyeing up a move for the talented manager and may stump up around £10million to meet his release clause.Frank took charge of Brentford in 201...
Bukayo Saka during an England press conference. (Image: Getty Images)Bukayo Saka has bravely spoken out about the intense toll on both body and mind when contending with his first significant injury. The 23-year-old Arsenal star was sidelined for a challenging three months of the previous campaign after requiring hamstring surgery on Christmas Eve.The talented England winger has confessed to momen...
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will be desperate to freshen up his squad this summer (Image: GETTY)Arsenal could be waiting for a three-man domino effect at Bayern Munich before they discover whether they can sign Leroy Sane. The Gunners have been linked with the German winger this summer after missing out on the Premier League title once again.Arsenal have been in the mix for Premier League glory for ...
Enzo Maresca is trying to improve his Chelsea squad. (Image: Getty)Chelsea have reportedly had a second bid for Jamie Gittens turned down by Borussia Dortmund, who are demanding more money ahead of Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Blues are desperately trying to finalise their business so that any new signings can participate in the Club World Cup. However, Dortmund are proving tough negotiators o...
Ruben Amorim is set to retain Tom Heaton in his Man Utd squad for next season (Image: Getty)Manchester United have reportedly agreed a contract extension with Tom Heaton which will take the veteran goalkeeper's playing career into his forties. United confirmed that they were in talks with Heaton, 39, as part of the official squad update they released on Monday.In that announcement, the Red Devils ...
Premier League clubs are in a race against the clock to get deals over the line before the summer transfer window is put on pause by the Club World Cup. The window will shut later on today, prompting numerous clubs to accelerate deals over the coming hours.Liverpool remain locked in talks to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz and Bournemouth defender Milos Kerkez, while Chelsea are also push...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Jack Grealish
- 3 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 4 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 5 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Harvey Elliott opens door to Liverpool exit
- 10 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent