Emmanuel Dennis goalless again as Watford's relegation troubles get worse

Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Dennis was again unable to save his Watford side as they fell to 16th-placed Leeds United at the Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Raphinha (21'), Rodrigo (73') and Jack Harrison (85') gave Marcelo Bielsa's side a much-needed 3-0 victory that puts some distance between them and the bottom four.

Nigerian international Dennis fired blanks again at home as Watford failed to create much in terms of direct chances in a match they needed to win to keep hopes alive of beating the drop.

Dennis was once again left out of the Starting XI with Cucho Hernandez starting in place of the Super Eagles star on the right hand of the attack.

Hernandez suffered an injury in the 39th minute that forced Roy Hodgson to call on Dennis much earlier than he expected as Watford failed to break down a compact Leeds United defence.

The 24-year-old had no success on the frontlines, mustering no shots on or off target throughout his 51 minutes on the pitch.

Dennis was particularly wasteful in possession, giving the ball away a total of 20 times while he also lost out on 14 of the 22 duels he contested.

The Super Eagles forward could only manage one (1) key pass of his 45 passes to teammates while his two successful tackles told the story of a Watford side that was always on the back foot.

Other Super Eagles players in the Watford contingent continue to be left out of the Matchday squad as only Samuel Kalu made it to the bench while William Troost-Ekong and Oghenekaro Etebo were left out of the squad totally.

Troost-Ekong has not played a minute of football for Watford since January 1, a 1-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Etebo has played only one game for the Hornets since September 2021, a 17-minute cameo against Wolverhampton Wanderers that ended in a 4-0 loss for the Hornets.

It was the same time winter signing Samuel Kalu made his last appearance for Watford to date also, with the former Bordeaux man coming on as a half-time substitute for Norwegian Joshua King.

Watford remain in 19th place on the table with 22 points from 31 games, two points short of four points off the 17th position but having played one game more than Everton who currently occupy that spot.