Derby County fell to a 2-1 defeat at Vicarage Road against Watford in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon.
An impressive early goal from Ebou Adams had the Rams in front until Vakoun Bayo’s acrobatic strike put the game level before half-time. The hosts took a goal advantage in the second period when Moussa Sissoko struck from inside the box with 15 minutes left.
Tom Cleverley's Watford team came into the game in good form after winning all three of their games in the opening stages of the new campaign. Derby were buoyed too, by a spirited 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Pride Park Stadium in their first home game of the season.
Adams sent the away end into raptures after only two minutes, as he neatly tucked away Kayden Jackson’s cross from the byline into a packed box, which found the Rams midfielder lurking and ready to pounce. He delivered a fine left-foot volley to open the scoring.
Watford's Edo Kayembe was played into a good position in the box in the tenth minute as a chipped through ball from Tom Dele-Bashiru found the striker in a threatening position, but some cultured defending from Derby left-back Callum Elder saw the chance muted as Dele-Bashiru was muscled off the ball.
Some good work from Hornets midfielder Giorgio Chakvetadze, two minutes later, found Ryan Andrews running beyond the defence on the wing, but his cross flashed across the busy penalty area and Elder cleared the Rams’ lines.
Jerry Yates received the clearance to set Derby on the counter, where after some good interplay between Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Jackson, Adams was almost found in position to strike again. But some dogged defending Francisco Sierralta saw the ball out for a goal kick.
Andrews looked to deliver another enticing cross into the area in the 22nd minute, but Curtis Nelson was able to contort his feet to clear the ball away from danger. The Hornets continued to threaten as Sierralta rose highest to direct the second ball from a corner towards Derby’s goal, but the header sailed just wide of the post.
Bayo drew the host level with an impressive volley on the half-hour mark. Mattie Pollock’s floating through ball found the winger running in behind to complete a finish that Derby goalkeeper Jacob Zetterström could do nothing about.
Kenzo Goudmijn’s cross in the 43rd minute nearly resulted in a chance for Jerry Yates, as Adams misfired the delivery towards the Derby striker’s head. But Pollock fended Yates off just metres from the goal-line.
An error by Derby’s shot-stopper Zetterström nearly saw Bayo in for a second time just before the half-time whistle, but some eager work from the goalkeeper to recover from his mistake pressurised the Hornets’ striker enough to see the ball go wide and send the teams into the second period on level terms.
Adams had a chance from the edge of the box just moments after the restart, but this time he couldn’t repeat his first-half feat, as he struck the ball on the bounce and sent it just over the bar.
After a period of sustained pressure by the hosts, Warne made the Rams’ first changes when Elder and Goudmijn made way for Craig Forsyth and Liam Thompson.
The Rams saw more of the ball after the changes. Ozoh clattered a shot towards goal in the 66th minute but the sea of legs that stood between him and the net saw the ball fly skyward and out for a corner.
Nelson came flying through the box to meet Mendez-Laing’s free-kick delivery moments later, but the marauding centre-back sent the ball just beyond the frame of Daniel Bachmann’s goal.
Sissoko gave Watford the lead for the first time in the 76th minute, as he took advantage of a rebound following Thompson’s alert block of Kwadwo Baah’s shot inside the area. The Hornets captain found himself in space to fire the ball beyond Zetterström.
Joe Ward and James Collins entered the field of play for the
Rams in the 83rd minute, as Nyambe and Yates departed.
Forsyth and Bradley both had headed opportunities in the second minute of added time, but were denied by the side netting and goalkeeper Bachmann, respectively, as the hosts held on to claim the win.
Watford: Bachmann (GK), Sierralta, Pollock, Chakvetadze, Sissoko (C), Bayo (Rajovic), Morris (Porteous 72), Dele-Bashiru, Larouci (Sema 56), Kayembe (Baah 72), Andrews.
Unused Substitutes: Bond (GK), Ince, Louza, Vata, Doumbia.
Derby County: Zetterström (GK), Nyambe (Ward 83), Bradley, Nelson, Elder (Forsyth 65), Ozoh, Goudmijn (Thompson 65), Adams, Jackson, Yates (Collins 83), Mendez-Laing (C) (Barkhuizen 72).
Unused Substitutes: Luthra (GK), Washington, Brown.
Referee: Geoff Eltringham
Assistant Referees: Shaun Hudson, Richard Woodward
Fourth Official: James Linington
Derby will travel north-west in Round Two of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday 27th August as they face Sky Bet League Two side Barrow on the road (7:45pm kick-off).
