Ryoya Morishita marked his full Championship debut with a decisive strike as Blackburn Rovers claimed a deserved 1-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road. The 28-year-old Japan winger, who joined from Legia Warsaw last month and recently scored his first international goal against Indonesia, coolly finished early in the second half from compatriot Yuki Ohashi's pass to secure only Rovers' second victory of the season.
For Watford, beaten in front of club icon Sir Elton John on a day when they wore special shirts in his honour, this was a chastening first home league defeat of the campaign. Paulo Pezzolano's side have now won just one of their opening six matches, are still waiting for a first clean sheet and sit 17th in the Championship, two places behind a Blackburn team that had lost four of its first five games in all competitions.
Watford's Fast Start Lacks Final Touch
Watford began as if intent on making a statement for their new head coach. They were direct, aggressive and on the front foot, quickly forcing Blackburn back and putting goalkeeper Balazs Toth under pressure. Inside three minutes, a free-kick whipped into the area caused confusion, Toth misjudging a looping header and flapping at the ball, which thankfully for him bounced over the bar rather than dipping under it.