Cucho Hernández at the double to give Watford vital win at Southampton

A game that started with Watford’s supporters deriding their team’s chances of starting next season in the Premier League ended with them revelling in the thought of an unlikely escape. Roy Hodgson chalked up his second win in charge to move level on points with Everton, who remain outside the relegation zone on goal difference, and though the obvious caveat that the teams directly above and below them are armed with games in hand stands, on this evidence Watford’s race is not yet run.

Cucho Hernández scored twice as Southampton suffered a third straight defeat, with Mohamed Elyounoussi’s strike before half-time failing to ignite a fightback.

Southampton began with great promise – Elyounoussi had a header cleared off the line with less than 90 seconds gone – but quickly faded and Jan Bednarek made a desperate block to thwart João Pedro shortly before Watford opened the scoring. At the time the travelling supporters were busy bathing in the sun and making light of their team’s predicament with a series of sarcastic chants. Hernández was not deterred, seizing on a loose ball after Mohammed Salisu undercooked a back pass for Fraser Forster and rounding the goalkeeper, who was frozen in time.

Watford played with a low block, with every outfield player behind the ball as Southampton huffed and puffed on halfway. Kyle Walker-Peters thrashed a shot at Ben Foster from the byline and Salisu headed over an inviting James Ward-Prowse free-kick but Watford hushed the hosts when they doubled their advantage on 34 minutes. Ralph Hasenhüttl, hands on hips on the edge of the home technical area, appeared as stunned as the travelling Watford fans.

Hodgson, by contrast, was unmoved in the dugout. Watford piled down the left and Juraj