Watford 0-1 Blackburn Rovers: Hedges strike makes Hornets pay for missed chances

Blackburn’s Ryan Hedges lifted the ball over a Watford challenge before firing past goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann from a tight angle

Blackburn rode their luck on the way to snatching a narrow win over a dominant Watford side in the Championship.

A moment of magic from Rovers’ Ryan Hedges on the counter-attack 18 minutes from time decided a game which saw the Hornets on top for long spells.

Matheus Martins twice hit the woodwork for the hosts and Rovers keeper Aynsley Pears produced a string of saves to ensure Blackburn’s first clean sheet in 13 away games and first win at Vicarage Road in 22 years.

All four of Watford’s league goals this season came in the opening 43 minutes of their opening-day win over QPR.

Since that emphatic victory on 5 August, the Hornets have drawn with Plymouth and lost to Stoke and Blackburn without finding the net.

In a low-key opening half, Blackburn’s Sammie Szmodics fired straight at Daniel Bachmann on 20 minutes while at the other end Martins saw a low shot from close range saved by Pears.

The lively Martins cut in from the left and thumped the crossbar shortly before the half hour and Rovers defender Dominic Hyam threw himself in the way of Tom Dele-Bashiru’s shot after some neat approach play from the Hornets.

After the break, Martins whipped another curler narrowly over and had a similar effort deflected past the upright by Hayden Carter.

Substitutes Imran Louza and debutant Mileta Rajovic both went close for the hosts before Andy Moran came off the Rovers bench a day after his arrival on loan from Brighton, but could only curl tamely at Bachmann with his first touch just before the hour.

The deadlock was broken against the run of play in the 72nd minute when Hedges picked up the loose ball after a last-ditch covering tackle from Ryan Porteous denied the onrushing Lewis Travis.

Hedges dinked the ball past Wesley Hoedt’s challenge and juggled it twice before lashing a strike inside Bachmann’s near post from a tight angle.

The hosts pressed for a leveller but Rajovic’s touch was heavy after a cutback from Ryan Andrews and Martins saw a low strike through a crowd of players excellently tipped on to the upright by Pears.

Ken Sema blazed off target in added time and the final whistle meant Watford’s four points from four games is their worst start to a season in 12 years.

Blackburn move up to ninth after a first league win since their opening-day victory over West Brom.

Line-upsWatford

Formation 4-3-3

1Bachmann

45Andrews5Porteous4Hoedt12Sema

24Dele-Bashiru39Kayembe11Koné

18Asprilla19Bayo37Martins

Substitutes

Blackburn

Formation 4-2-3-1

1Pears

11Rankin-Costello17Carter5Hyam2Brittain

27Travis23A Wharton

19Hedges8Szmodics10Dolan

20Leonard

Substitutes

Referee:Gavin Ward

Attendance:17,810

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