Emmanuel Dennis and Watford end poor form with victory over Southampton

Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Dennis could not add to his nine Premier League goals this season, but Colombian forward Cucho Hernandez won the game with two first-half strikes for Roy Hodgson's men.

In the 14th minute, Ghanaian defender Mohammed Salisu made a rather uncharacteristic error when he played, a weak pass to his goalkeeper.

Hernandez intercepted the pass, and he rolled the ball into an empty goal without a second thought.  

Things went from bad to worse about 10 minutes later, when Watford took advantage of a Southampton attack to launch a swift counter. Slovakian international Juraj Kucka floated in a good cross, which Hernandez turned in for his third goal in as many games.

Southampton finally found a reply through a set-piece. The ever-dependable James Ward-Prowse whipped in a delicious freekick which Che Adams headed towards Mohamed Elyounoussi, and the Norwegian winger scored to half the scoreline before the break.

Chances became scarce until the dying minutes of the second half. The most memorable opportunity fell to Ward-Prowse again, this time on the edge of the box. The midfielder sent in a powerful effort that narrowly missed the target.

A few minutes later, there was confusion as Southampton thought they had won a penalty to bring them back into the game. After reviewing the VAR footage, Graham Scott correctly refused to award a penalty.

The Hornets held on and secured their first win since February.

This victory means more than just three points for Hodgson and his men, as they are now in the relegation zone only by goal difference.