Bourne supremacy spells a gloomy outlook for Gracia
GREY and gloomy with a chance of goals. The forecast forgot to mention the fireworks but it was otherwise bang on the money at Vicarage Road.
Bournemouth inflicted a demoralising defeat on 10-man Watford, whose day went south because of a combination of dire defending and downright recklessness.
They can only have themselves to blame. Christian Kabasele’s firsthalf sending off was deserved and Javi Gracia has been left scratching his head, wondering what has happened to his team.
Watford won their first four matches at the start of the season under Gracia, who was named manager of the month for August. They are now winless in four.
‘A bad day,’ Gracia said. ‘It was the first game where we did not compete at the same level. We made more mistakes than in all the games together. Today was a bad day.’
Joshua King helped himself to two of Bournemouth’s four goals, while Callum Wilson and young David Brooks contributed the others. Last season, it took Bournemouth 16 games to get to 16 points. They have now reached that total in half as
many. It is too soon to start talking about Eddie Howe’s European tour but they are on the right track to avoid a relegation scrap at least.
‘I wouldn’t say we have revised our expectations,’ Howe said. ‘How do you do that? We are very confident in the players, in the team, in the methods.’
This is up there with the Premier League’s more unusual rivalries, it stems back to the 2014-15 season, when Bournemouth pipped Watford to the Championship title by a single point. After 14 minutes, the visitors got their party started. Bournemouth won possession after a block by Adam Smith inside his own box and, 15 seconds later, they had the ball in the back of the net.
King charged down the left wing and crossed to the back post, finding Wilson. It should have been a tap-in for the striker but Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster saved superbly.
Unfortunately for him, 21-yearold Brooks was there to finish.
Howe’s side scored their second goal after 33 minutes and were handed a man advantage for the remainder of the match too. King had broken through and was tripped by Kabasele, who had already been booked for barging into Asmir Begovic after 11 minutes. The challenge was as clumsy as it was costly.
Referee Jonathan Moss did not hesitate to point to the penalty spot and produced a second yellow for Kabasele.
King took it himself and scored, sending Foster the wrong way.
As well as being beaten to the title three years ago, there was another reason why Watford dislike Bournemouth.
During their meeting at Dean Court in 2015, Gabriele Angella was harshly shown red after 26 seconds.
There was nothing contentious about Kabasele’s sending off, however.
Before the break, it became 3-0. Brooks played a ball through to Wilson. The forward crossed to find King, who scored his second of the afternoon, this time heading beyond Foster.
Watford were in all sorts of trouble. Three goals down, a man down, spirits well and truly down. At the start of the second half, it got worse.
Ryan Fraser crossed, Wilson took a touch to chip the ball over Foster, and he tapped it in for 4-0 after 47 minutes.
Watford’s supporters headed for the exits. Bournemouth’s sang: ‘Easy, easy, easy.’
It really was.
WATFORD (4-4-2): Foster 4.5; Femenia 4, Cathcart 4, Kabasele 3.5, Holebas 4; Hughes 4 (Mariappa 55min, 5), Capoue 5, Doucoure 4, Pereyra 4.5 (Deulofeu 74, 6); Deeney 4, Gray 4 (Success 55, 5). Booked: Kabasele, Cathcart, Holebas, Doucoure. Subs (not used): Gomes, Masina, Sema, Chalobah. Sent off: Kabasele (32min).
BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-2): Begovic 7; Francis 7, Cook 7.5 (Surman 78), Ake 8, Smith 7; Brooks 7.5 (Gosling 70, 6), Lerma 7, Cook 7, Fraser 7 (Stanislas 66, 6); Wilson 7.5, King 7.5. Booked: Surman. Subs (not used): Boruc, Ibe, Defoe, Rico.
referee: J Moss 6.