Neal Maupay stunner inspires Brighton to victory against struggling Watford

A match that started with the stands reverberating to cheers as Roy Hodgson was introduced as Watford’s latest manager ended in front of empty seats and with a sixth successive home defeat. Not since 20 November have they won at Vicarage Road, the same day Brighton suffered their last and indeed only away defeat in the league. Neither run looked likely to end once Neal Maupay had put the visitors in front shortly before the break.

Watford’s new manager bounce, such as it was, lasted about 15 minutes, came at the start of the second half with the side already a goal down and had long since fallen flat by the time Adam Webster ended the contest in the 82nd minute. Watford have been in the habit of starting games particularly badly – as their league position suggests they have not been ending them very well either, and it is probably best not to mention the middle period – but here their initial inferiority seemed almost by design.

As at West Ham in midweek Hodgson picked four specialist central midfielders at the expense of effective width, a defensive set-up perhaps calculated to frustrate their opponents until such time that Ismaila Sarr, who returned from the African Cup of Nations only on Friday, could be risked off the bench and release the shackles. It never convincingly did so, and despite the crowd of central players Adam Lallana seemed able to find pockets of space in the middle and because of it Brighton’s two wing-backs enjoyed plenty of it in wide areas.

Danny Welbeck started on his return to the club he represented with little success two seasons ago, playing slightly ahead of Neal Maupay in attack, and the former Arsenal forward’s movement, sucking defenders towards the goal, at least partially explains the