Goals:
0-1: Rondon (29, Christian Atsu’s lovely turn allowed him to set Matt Ritchie up for a cross from the left and Rondon outjumped his marker to head home)
1-1: Doucoure (82, substitute Doucoure powered home a free header from Gerard Deulofeu’s cross from the right)
Referee: Roger East - allowed the game to flow and avoided major slip ups. 7
Bookings: Masina (44, foul); Yedlin (66, foul), Schar (90, foul)
Attendance: 20,336
Entertainment: ***
WATFORD (4-4-2): Foster 6; Janmaat 7, Cathcart 6, Mariappa 6, Masina 5 (Holebas 79); Hughes 6 (Deeney 54, 6), Capoue 6, Quina 5 (Doucoure 54, 7), Pereyra 6; DEULOFEU 7, Success 7. Subs (not used): Gomes, Britos, Cleverley, Sema.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (5-4-1):
7 Dubravka: Vital early save at 0-0 to deny Gerard Deulofeu, who should really have been flagged offside.
7 Yedlin: Aggressive display on the right of defence, always willing to burst forward.
7 Lascelles: Marshalled the back line calmly and commandingly, as in most games.
7 Fernandez: Excellent goal-saving block in first-half stoppage time before being forced off hurt seconds later.
7 Dummett: Solid as the left-sided centre-back on a busy day at the back.
7 Ritchie: Great cross from the Scotland winger for Rondon’s header in a hard-working performance.
5 Perez: Isolated on the right for most of a game that passed him by. Did set up Rondon, but it didn’t count.
7 Diame: Used his power to break up Hornets attacks whenever possible.
6 Hayden: Careful not to lose possession but perhaps over-cautious as a result.
7 Atsu: Bravo for the turn to set up the opener. Did it again to bamboozle Will Hughes shortly after too.
8 RONDON: Had the ball in the net three times before the break. Only one counted but overall he was superb.
Subs:
Schar (46, for Fernandez) Almost managed to help his team to a clean sheet. 6
Shelvey (for Hayden 79) Should have tracked Doucoure for the equaliser. 4
(not used): Woodman (gk), Murphy, Muto, Manquillo, Joselu.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Salomon Rondon - The away fans need to have someone worthy of the No 9 shirt in front of them and the Venezuelan didn’t disappoint.
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