Watford came from behind to mark Javi Gracia's Vicarage Road homecoming with a 2-1 Championship win over West Bromwich Albion, thanks to superb strikes from Imran Louza and Rocco Vata. Isaac Price had earlier fired the visitors in front with a spectacular opener, but Louza's equaliser before half-time and Vata's second-half winner ensured a triumphant first home game of Gracia's second spell in charge.
The result lifted Watford up to 12th in the table, while Albion, who would have gone third with a victory, instead dropped to 10th and remain without a win at Vicarage Road since 2007. On a night that began with a flat atmosphere and few chances, the contest was transformed by a flurry of outstanding goals, a spell of second-half Watford pressure and one big missed opportunity for Price that kept Ryan Mason's side empty-handed.
Price Ignites a Flat First Half
For half an hour the game scarcely resembled the occasion. Gracia received a warm ovation when he was reintroduced to the home crowd, waving to applauding fans as he emerged from the tunnel, while the away end cheekily chanted that he would be 'sacked in the morning' in reference to Watford's habit of dispensing with managers, including Paulo Pezzolano after just 10 games in charge. Once the action started, though, both sides struggled to create anything of note, the atmosphere mirroring a dull, low-tempo opening in which Albion enjoyed much of the control without seriously testing Egil Selvik.