Danny Ings' double for Southampton leaves Watford in deep trouble
It was not hard to spot the team fighting against relegation. While Southampton cruised to another straightforward victory on the road thanks to a finishing masterclass from Danny Ings, Watford were choked by fear and wasted another opportunity to haul themselves away from the bottom three.
Southampton were good value for their second consecutive away win, secured thanks to a sharp double from Ings and a trademark free-kick from James Ward-Prowse. The anxiety weighed heavily on Watford, who remain a point above 18th-placed Bournemouth, and defeat was not a good look given that Nigel Pearson had to drop three players following an alleged lockdown breach involving Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina reportedly attending a party hosted by Andre Gray. “Until I know all the facts I am not making any further comment on that situation,” Pearson said.
Watford’s manager looked and sounded annoyed. The last thing a coach in a scrap needs is to find himself dealing with reports of one of his most experienced players apparently breaching social distancing measures by turning party host before a crucial game. It was hardly the best way for Watford to prepare and it was no surprise to see no place for Gray in the squad, with the striker joined on the sidelines by Quina and Chalobah.
The club’s confirmation that the trio were omitted to “ensure the health and safety of all players, staff and officials at today’s game” heightened the sense of uncertainty hanging over Watford, who were tight from the start. They handled the pressure poorly, lacked ideas in attack and made too many simple errors, allowing Southampton to seize the initiative in a game that mattered far more to their opponents. “It’s disappointing because today was an opportunity to add to our points tally,” Pearson said. “We didn’t find any rhythm in the first half.”
Southampton, enjoying life in midtable, played with impressive freedom. Ings was in the mood, always showing for the ball and threatening when he fed Shane Long for an early chance. Long fired straight at Ben Foster but Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side were dominant, pressing aggressively before pouncing in the 17th minute.
Ings, one goal behind Jamie Vardy in the race for the Golden Boot, had only one thing on his mind when he received a crisp pass from Will Smallbone in a tight area. The striker turned sharply, beat Craig Cathcart with a clever piece of footwork and moved into dangerous territory before there was time to react. Craig Dawson could not get across quickly enough and Ings opened up his body before using the inside of his right foot to guide a measured shot into the left corner from 20 yards. “He is a very important player for us,” Hasenhüttl said. “He had a good finishing session yesterday.”
It was an expert piece of finishing and Southampton could have scored again when Oriol Romeu released Ward-Prowse, only for the midfielder to hook wide. Watford, ponderous and slow, froze. Roberto Pereyra offered nothing on the left and on one of the few occasions when Ismaïla Sarr wriggled behind Ryan Bertrand on the right, the winger stopped and let the ball run out of play, bizarrely claiming slight contact from the Southampton left-back merited a penalty.
Watford, who have earned one point from their first three games back, mustered a brief response after the break and appealed for a penalty again after Kyle Walker-Peters challenged Dawson. Their end product was disappointing, however, and Southampton regained a sense of calm as the hour approached, with Romeu shielding the back four and Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek keeping Troy Deeney quiet.
Southampton were the slicker side. Watford were in too much of a rush and they played themselves into trouble when Foster, looking to start a quick counter, threw the ball straight to Ings. Bad idea. The forward set off in pursuit of his 21st goal of the season, darted into the area and moved the ball on to his right foot. The end result was predictable and although Watford gave themselves hope when Bednarek diverted JoséHolebas’s cross into his own net with 10 minutes left, Southampton sealed the win thanks to a sublime freekick from Ward-Prowse.