Derby County 0-2 Watford: Imran Louza and Edo Kayembe steer Hornets to victory

Derby were made to pay for missed chances as Watford enjoyed a rare away success in the Championship with a 2-0 win at Pride Park.

The home side were left ruing their bad luck after hitting the woodwork three times on a day when little went right for them.

Watford took an early lead through Imran Louza, who scored for the first time in almost a year, and sealed only a third away win of the season when Edo Kayembe finished off a counter-attack.

Derby had opportunities but could not take them and boos rang out after a defeat which left them only one point above the relegation zone.

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Both teams had not won since Boxing Day and Watford were fortunate not to go down to 10 men when debutant James Abankwah escaped with a yellow card for a wild challenge on Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

The Hornets stung Derby again in the fourth minute when Kwadwo Baah surged down the right and his low cross fell to Louza who beat Jacob Widell Zetterstrom from 12 yards.

Watford had more success down the Derby left with Abankwah making a strong run and pulling the ball back into a dangerous area but Jeremy Ngakia scuffed his shot wide.

Derby had a good chance to draw level in the 21st minute after a quick free-kick found Mendez-Laing who picked out Eiran Cashin but the defender completely missed his kick.

Watford had a double escape in the 41st minute when Mendez-Laing rattled the bar and Kayden Jackson smashed an overhead kick against the woodwork with Jonathan Bond beaten.

Bond tipped over a Cashin header as Derby enjoyed their best period of the half and the goalkeeper made an even better save at the start of the second by turning behind a Mendez-Laing drive.

Derby hit the woodwork for a third time in the 51st minute with Ebou Adams striking Bond's right post and the midfielder went close again when Watford were caught on the break.

It was Watford's turn to be denied when Moussa Sissoko's drive came back off the bar and went behind off Zetterstrom for a corner.

But the visitors doubled their advantage in the 66th minute following a swift break that ended with Kayembe firing into the bottom corner after Sissoko played him in.

Derby were caught again minutes later but this time Zetterstrom made a good save to deny Baah although the damage had already been done with the Rams looking anxiously over their shoulders after a fourth straight league defeat.

The managers

Derby's Paul Warne:

"I thought we had a really good chance early on and if you go 1-0 up the place is alive but that's not the case and they go up the other end and score.

"That's probably the best summation of the game, they were more clinical than us and for the first 15 or 20 minutes they were the better side but I thought we finished the half well and hit the crossbar a couple of times.

"I think Watford deserved their victory, I'm not saying anything other, but I also think if we get the next goal we would have been back in it but unfortunately today it was elusive and that's what I'll remember the most from the game."

Watford's Tom Cleverley:

"It's sweet and doubly sweet that we managed to get a clean sheet. That's been long awaited away from home.

"We've done a lot of work, the players have done a lot of work on getting more clean sheets and you have to work doubly hard when you go from a five to a four.

"I thought the wingers were selfless today with their work going backwards and still affected the game going forward and it was a real solid performance.

"They had a couple of chances but we could have been out of sight second half and it was a representation that the whole club is together, the players, the staff, the supporters.

"We've been dealt a few setbacks lately but we've come out swinging today and now we're looking up again only one point off fifth.

"We showed an appetite to defend. The one thing that keeps us up at night is why are we not as resilient as we were? I think the first 14 games I was in charge we had eight clean sheets and I liked the balance of the team today."

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