Watford manager Nigel Pearson on Sunday warned his side of the perils of relegation if they do not stop “gifting” points after a 3-1 home defeat by Southampton.
Danny Ings produced two fine finishes to further his case for the Premier League Golden Boot as Saints realistically secured their top-flight status for another season by reaching 40 points.
A bad day for the Hornets began before kickoff when three players were excluded from Pearson’s squad for breaching COVID-19 protocols.
Photo: Reuters
Watford said that Andre Gray, Nathaniel Chalobah and Domingos Quina were not included to protect “the health and safety of all players, staff and officials,” after Gray hosted a birthday party on Friday last week with more than the permitted six people present.
On the field, Pearson’s men have also had a poor start to the Premier League resumption, with just one point from their first three games, leaving them just a point above the relegation zone.
“We were second best for too long,” Pearson said. “You can’t concede goals like gifts to your opponents, it makes the job even harder.”
Watford are the only side this season to beat champions Liverpool in the Premier League and they also beat Manchester United early in Pearson’s reign after he took charge in December last year.
With bottom-of-the-table Norwich City, Newcastle United and fellow strugglers West Ham United to come in three of his side’s next four games, Pearson remains confident Watford would be safe if they find their best form.
“We are not achieving the types of performances we know we are capable of,” he said. “We have games left where it is in our own hands, where we can assure our own future in the Premier League.”
Ings brilliantly made space for himself on the edge of the penalty area before curling into the far corner on 16 minutes to give Saints a deserved first-half lead.
Watford gave themselves a mountain to climb when Ben Foster’s poor throw was pounced upon by Ings to drill home his 18th Premier League goal of the season and move within one of Jamie Vardy as the league’s top scorer.
“I just want to score as many goals as I can,” Ings said on his chances of winning the Golden Boot.
Centerback Jan Bednarek’s own-goal briefly gave the hosts hope of a comeback, but Southampton restored their two-goal advantage within three minutes when James Ward-Prowse curled a free-kick into the top corner.
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care
Novak Djokovic on Sunday described his shock third-round elimination from the Internazionali BNL d’Italia by Alejandro Tabilo as “concerning,” two days after he was hit on the head by a bottle, which he said has caused nausea and dizzy spells. Djokovic’s bid for a record-extending 41st Masters 1000 title was ended in just more than an hour by Chilean Tabilo, who is ranked 32nd in the world and claimed his first win over a top-10 opponent, 6-2, 6-3. The 24-time Grand Slam winner said that his subdued performance on a court where he has won six titles might have been due to
Caitlin Clark on Thursday walked into her new home arena with No. 22 shirts and jerseys peppered from floor to ceiling. She left as a first-time WNBA winner. A late-arriving, but louder-than-usual crowd roared during her official introduction to Fever fans and again when Clark made her first basket, a layup with 7 minutes left in the first quarter. The cheers grew when she completed a three-point play a few minutes later and hit a crescendo when she finally made a long three-pointer from the edge of the fieldhouse logo late in the third quarter. Clark successfully navigated the city’s most anticipated rookie
TO REAL MADRID? Kylian Mbappe informed PSG privately in February of his intention to depart when his contract expires, but this was the first time he acknowledged it publicly French soccer player Kylian Mbappe on Friday confirmed that he is to leave French champions Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season, with Real Madrid widely expected to be his next destination. The announcement brings an end to a prolific association with his hometown team, which began when he signed from AS Monaco in 2017 in a deal worth 180 million euros (US$194 million). “I wanted to announce to you all that it’s my last year at Paris Saint-Germain. I will not extend and the adventure will come to an end in a few weeks,” Mbappe, 25, said in a video