Ighalo nets late winner
Odion Ighalo continued his rich vein of scoring form by netting the winner late on to give Watford a 1-0 victory they deserved on their second-half showing against Blackburn Rovers.
The Hornets had been marginally the better side in the first half, but they struggled against the visitors' more direct approach after the break and needed goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes to stop them from going behind on at least two occasions.
Both sides sought to be positive from the outset but it was Watford who had the first good opening when Ikechi Anya led a counter-attacking charge downfield and after reaching the edge of the Blackburn penalty area he slipped in Miguel Layun, whose right-footed strike was superbly pushed behind by Jason Steele.
Layun took the resulting corner himself and his deep delivery picked out Gabriele Angella at the back post, but the Italian defender would have been disappointed not to have tested Steele more with an unmarked downward header.
Blackburn were to have their own opportunities though, Jordan Rhodes hit an angled half-volley narrowly wide before Chris Brown headed a free-kick back across goal and narrowly wide of the far post.
The visitors also had another good chance in injury-time at the end of a goalless opening period when Ben Marshall curled a 25-yard free-kick over the wall but Gomes got across his goal well to push it behind at his near post.
Gary Bowyer's side continued in the ascendency after the restart as Watford struggled to get going. Rhodes headed a Marshall cross over and Craig Conway shot wide before Blackburn had a better opportunity when Gomes failed to get sufficient distance as he sought to punch clear a Conway cross, but Rhodes' goal-bound follow-up was well blocked by Angella.
But it took a superb save from Gomes to prevent Blackburn from taking the lead in the 72nd minute. The Brazilian initially started to come as Jordan Lowe clipped a ball into the area but as substitute Rudy Gestede headed down, the keeper started to retreat, and instinctively pushed Rhodes' strike behind.
The danger wasn't over though, as substitute Matej Vydra and Juan Carlos Paredes both missed opportunities to clear the resulting corner, and Conway almost capitalised, but Gomes was again equal to his strike.
Watford had offered virtually nothing as an attacking presence in the second half but with six minutes remaining they won a corner. Layun took it, the ball bounced around in the area until it sat for Ighalo, who hooked it goalwards. Steele got a hand to it as he attempted to push it behind but the ball struck the inside of his right-hand post and went in to give the Nigerian his ninth goal in six league games.
Source: PA
