Watford 3-0 Middlesbrough: Javi Gracia's Hornets ease to victory

Rob Edwards suffered a dismal return to Vicarage Road as Watford shocked high-flying Middlesbrough with a clinical 3-0 victory in the Championship.

Sacked by the Hornets after just 10 league games, of which he lost only two, Edwards returned to a frosty reception at Vicarage Road.

His side dominated for long spells, but Edwards finished being serenaded by the home supporters taunting him about the score after Imran Louza's opener was added to by Luca Kjerrumgaard's brace.

Leaders Coventry's first defeat of the season, at Wrexham on Friday, handed Middlesbrough a chance to draw level on points with the Sky Blues, but they paid for defensive lapses and their opponents' ruthlessness in front of goal.

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Watford, on their sixth head coach since Edwards departed three years ago and walked into a job at arch-rivals Luton, kept their first clean sheet since April 8.

After a tentative start, the Hornets scored from their first meaningful attack in the 15th minute.

Pacy winger Kwadwo Baah ran 60 yards with the ball, beat Matt Targett down the outside and his cut-back was fired home by Watford captain Louza, whose pass had instigated the breakaway, for his fifth goal in seven games.

Mamadou Doumbia's penalty claim, after a collision with Boro goalkeeper Sol Brynn, was waved away by referee John Busby before the visitors enjoyed an assertive spell with Hayden Hackney dragging a low cross-shot wide and Targett's free-kick brilliantly saved by Egil Selvik.

Yet for all their possession, the Teessiders found themselves 2-0 down after 32 minutes and, like the first goal, it seemed to come out of nowhere.

Jeremy Ngakia whipped a fine cross into the box and Kjerrumgaard, stealing half a yard on his marker Luke Ayling, turned his third goal of the season beyond Brynn with a deft, volleyed finish.

If Boro felt aggrieved by their half-time deficit, they were hit by another bolt from the blue within four minutes of the restart.

Doumbia, cutting in off the right on to his favoured left foot, unleashed a magnificent, dipping 25-yard shot into Brynn's top left corner, which took a slight deflection off Kjerrumgaard on its flight path.

Middlesbrough protested forcefully to the officials that Kjerrumgaard was offside, and they appeared to have a case, but their appeals were in vain and the Danish centre-forward was credited with his second goal.

The visitors continued to press forward, Delano Burgzorg shooting wide from 20 yards and Tommy Conway's fierce effort blocked by Matthew Pollock's last-ditch challenge.

Edwards' despair was underlined by a rare quintuple change with 20 minutes left, but Watford saw out the remaining time comfortably.

The managers

Watford's Javi Gracia:

"To be honest, I was celebrating the goal and I didn't know what had happened.

"When I saw their players around the referee, I supposed they were complaining about one player crossing the line in front of the keeper.

"But I'm very happy because that is the response we were looking for after our defeat at Coventry.

"Today we have to recognise that the opponent had more control of the ball at times but at some moments we were able to create our own chances and score some fantastic goals.

"We have many games in a short period of time, and you have to be prepared to enjoy the moment, but tomorrow we need to think about Ipswich and we have to be ready to compete well in that game.

"Now we have kept a clean sheet, the day must come when we win away. I don't know if it will come in the next game, but we will try."

Middlesbrough's Rob Edwards:

"It was frustrating, disappointing and all of that.

"Congratulations to Watford - they were clinical. There wasn't loads in the game, but the biggest message for us going into the match was to manage their counter-attacks and their fast moments.

"Their first two goals were frustrating, but we didn't do a lot wrong, and at half-time we felt that if we could get a goal we would be back in the game.

"But the third goal killed it. It obviously hit their lad - you could see him rubbing his head, which gave the game away, and he was in an offside position.

"The officials have got to get that right because the third goal was a killer. I'm not making excuses, but that was the end of it."

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