By Anthony Marshall - Newcastle United Managing Editor

At Vicarage Road

 

 

Watford 2 (Ighalo 46, Cathcart 58)

Newcastle United 1 (Lascelles 71)

Newcastle United suffered their first defeat in three games as they went down 2-1 at Watford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Odion Ighalo and Craig Cathcart struck the hosts into a comfortable lead at Vicarage Road, and although Jamaal Lascelles halved the deficit with his first Magpies goal, they were unable to force an equaliser.

An even first half saw chances at either end but neither side able to break the deadlock. Rolando Aarons and Aleksandar Mitrovic went closest for United while, at the other end, goalkeeper Rob Elliot pulled off a fine double save to deny Troy Deeney and Etienne Capoue.

However, the contest sparked into life in the opening minute of the second period, as Ighalo raced through one-on-one to round Elliot and tap home.

Centre-back Cathcart made it two soon after, reacting quickest to a loose ball inside the area, but Newcastle had a foothold back in the game as Lascelles thumped home a header from a corner.

United applied plenty of late pressure and went close through Ayoze Perez, Yoan Gouffran and Mitrovic but travelled back to Tyneside empty-handed.

Aarons was making his first league start of the season and fired the first warning shot of the afternoon with less than three minutes on the clock.

Daryl Janmaat and Moussa Sissoko combined well down the right, and when Watford failed to deal with the latter's cross, Georginio Wijnaldum prodded into the path of Aarons, whose angled drive flew narrowly wide.

United were impressing and, having broken at pace, Wijnaldum sent a teasing cross right through the heart of the penalty area that was calling out for a touch but didn't receive one.

However, despite the visitors' bright start, Watford still remained a dangerous proposition and on 17 minutes it took a fantastic block from Jamaal Lascelles to deny Deeney, who pulled the trigger with a low left-foot strike.

That outstanding defending was matched seconds later by Elliot, who made a brilliant double save, first getting down to his left to push away Deeney's shot before somehow keeping out Etienne Capoue's follow-up with his legs, when a goal looked certain.

Newcastle came roaring back, however, and in the 24th minute Wijnaldum teed up Mitrovic on the edge of the area. Running on to the ball, the Serbian striker connected well first time but found Heurelho Gomes in fine form, as the hosts' keeper pulled off a smart save to divert behind for a corner.

That was the end of the first half action but Watford roared out of the traps in the second period and broke the deadlock just 45 seconds after the restart.

Ighalo beat the offside trap to race on to Deeney's lofted through ball and kept his composure, rounding Elliot and tucking into the empty net at the Rookery End.

Buoyed by that, the Hornets went in search of their second and Deeney dragged a shot just wide of the near post.

But they doubled their advantage shortly before the hour mark through centre-back Cathcart.

Newcastle failed to deal with a deep free-kick and when Deeney headed back across goal, the ball bobbled off Ighalo into the path of Cathcart, who made no mistake from ten yards.

That prompted a double change from the visitors, who introduced Ayoze Perez and Yoan Gouffran for Henri Saivet and Aarons.

And it almost paid dividends immediately, but Gouffran was unable to direct his header on target after rushing into the box to connect with a right-wing Perez cross.

In the 64th minute another headed chance came and went. This time it was Perez - unmarked and connecting with Sissoko's excellent delivery - but the Spaniard nodded wildly high and wide when he should have done much better.

The Magpies finally halved the deficit in the 71st minute. Lascelles, making his first Premier League start, rose high above everyone else to meet Shelvey's corner and powered a superb header down into the ground and past the despairing dive of Gomes.

United had the bit between their teeth again and Perez could have levelled things up soon after but, having been released by Wijnaldum, opted for an angled shot - which went wide - when a cross to the far post to Mitrovic looked the better option.

At the other end, another fine save from Elliot kept out Ighalo, who looked to squeeze home a shot from a tight angle, having turned Lascelles inside out.

There was one last throw of the dice for the Magpies, as striker Emmanuel Riviere entered the fray in place of Fabricio Coloccini, but the Frenchman was unable to help them grab a share of the spoils.

Watford (4-2-3-1): Heurelho Gomes; Juan Carlos Paredes (Allan Nyom 88), Miguel Britos, Craig Cathcart, Nathan Ake; Etienne Capoue, Ben Watson; Valon Behrami, Troy Deeney (c) (Nordin Amrabat 90), Jose Manuel Jurado (Almen Abdi 77); Odion Igalho

 

Subs not used: Costel Pantilimon, Sebastian Prodl, Adlene Guedioura, Ikechi Anya

 

Newcastle United (3-4-2-1): Rob Elliot; Jamaal Lascelles, Fabricio Coloccini (c) (Emmanuel Riviere 88), Chancel Mbemba; Daryl Janmaat, Henri Saivet (Ayoze Perez 59), Jonjo Shelvey, Rolando Aarons (Yoan Gouffran 59); Moussa Sissoko, Georginio Wijnaldum; Aleksandar Mitrovic

 

Subs not used: Karl Darlow, Steven Taylor, Sylvain Marveaux, Florian Thauvin

 

 

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)

Bookings: Watford - Behrami (56), Britos (68); Newcastle United - Mbemba (51)