The Sunday Times February 13, 2022 9
Maupay celebrates his opening goal with wing back Marc Cucurella, right
The task confronting Roy Hodgson as
he attempts to guide Watford to
safety is becoming more challenging
with every passing game. Neal
Maupay’s first-half goal and a late
effort from Adam Webster
condemned Hodgson’s side to a
second defeat in five days. They now
have only one point and no goals to
show from the manager’s first three
games in charge.
Familiar failings were on show as
the hosts failed to keep a clean sheet
for a 17th successive Premier League
home game — their last one came in
February 2020 against Liverpool —
equalling an unwanted competition
record. Once Maupay put Brighton
ahead with his eighth league goal of
the season there seemed little
prospect of a Watford recovery.
Webster’s scrambled effort eight
minutes from time capped a victory
that consolidated Brighton & Hove
Albion’s top-half standing. Graham
Potter’s side are on the fringe of the
fight for a European spot. Hodgson’s
side, meanwhile, have gained only
two points in their past 11 Premier
League games.
After a scoreless draw in his first
game in charge, against Burnley, the
Watford manager was satisfied he had
seen more signs of progress despite
defeat against West Ham United.
Hodgson’s first two games in charge
had been marked by defensive
improvements, and they were forced
to rely on them during the opening 15
minutes.
Brighton were restricted to one
real effort on goal during that
confident opening spell, when Jakub
Moder forced Ben Foster into a full-
length save after Maupay had wrong-
footed the Watford defence with a
clever dummy from Pascal Gross’s
throw-in.
With Ismaila Sarr held back on the
bench after the winger’s return from
Senegal’s successful Africa Cup of
Nations campaign, Emmanuel DennisBrighton expose size
of Hodgson’s task
and Josh King led the line. It took a
good covering tackle from Tariq
Lamptey to prevent Dennis creating
more problems after being released
by Hassane Kamara’s pass. From the
resulting corner King shot over from
12 yards. Moments later Dennis’s pace
again caused problems after he
turned Lewis Dunk on the halfway
line before being tripped by the
recovering Brighton defender. Dennis
directed the free kick wide.
The home side were also guilty of
lapses in concentration at the back as
Potter’s side became more
threatening. Dunk should have done
better than direct a header over when
unmarked at the far post. Brighton
were ahead when Maupay turned
home from Lamptey’s cross. The
forward pulled away from two
defenders to strike the bouncing ball
first time from 16 yards, directing hisIan Winrow
WATFORD
0BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
Maupay 44, Webster 82 26
Watford have
lost six straight
home league
games for the
first time since
August to
October 1990shot over Foster and inside the far
post.
Hodgson sent on Sarr at half-time
and he gaveWatford an immediate
lift. There was more energy in their
play but when Dennis struck the
crossbar in the 63rd minute after
working past three defenders, there
was a growing sense that once again
this may not be Watford’s day.
Belief drained from the home side
when Alexis Mac Allister’s 82nd-
minute corner bounced inside the six-
yard box and Webster reacted first to
poke the ball home at the second
attempt.Star man Adam Lallana (Brighton)
Watford (4-4-2): B Foster 7 — K Femenia 6,
C Cathcart 6, Samir 6, H Kamara 6 — J Kucka 5
(sub: I Sarr 46, 6min), M Sissoko 6, E Kayembe 5
(I Louza 46, 6), T Cleverley 6 (sub: J Pedro 70, 6) —
J King 5, E Dennis 6.
Brighton (3-5-3): R Sanchez 6 — J Veltman 6,
L Dunk 6, A Webster 8 — T Lamptey 8, P Gross 6
(sub: A Mac Allister 64, 6), A Lallana 8 (sub: S Duffy
90, 6), J Moder 7, M Cucurella 7 — N Maupay 7,
D Welbeck 6 (Y Bissouma 64, 6)
Referee J MossOLI SCARFFMATCH
OF THE
DAYManchester United’s
indifferent form — they
have won only two of
their past six league
games and been
knocked out of the FA
Cup by Championship
side Middlesbrough —
has coincided with
Cristiano Ronaldo’s
worst goal drought in
13 years.
The Portugal
forward, right, has
gone 518 minutes
without scoring for
United in allcompetitions, and he
is on his longest run of
competitive club
games without a
goal (six) since
January 2009.
It has not
been a happy
time for
Ronaldo. He has
yet to score or
assist in a goal
for his club in- His last
goal was
against Burnley
on December 30.
UNLUCKY 13 FOR
OFF-TARGET RONALDO
2
PPY UNITED
For only the second
time in their history,
Manchester United
have failed to win
back-to-back
Premier League
matches in which
they led at half-time
— against Burnley
and Southampton.
Both games
finished 1-1. The last
time they did so was
in December 1998est run of
lub
ut a
e
.as
r
ley
30.9
The last time United
played Southampton
at home, just over
a year ago, they
won 9-02
Having scored
only two goals
in his first 23
games for
United in all
competitions,
Jadon Sancho
now has two in
his past three