Villa slump to damaging home defeat to Watford

Alan Hutton scored an own goal as Aston Villa were defeated 3-2 at home by Watford to deepen their troubles.

It was a big game for Aston Villa, with Remi Garde’s strugglers desperately in need of a point or three to add to the five they started the day with at the bottom of the table. It was 12 league games and not one win to the Villains going into this match with captain Micah Richards conceding the club may be in trouble after their 4-0 defeat by Everton last week. Unfortunately for Villa, game number 13 in their stretch proved no luckier.

Odion Ighalo scored the first goal for Watford in the 16th minute, but Villa upped the ante after this with Heurelho Gomes really earning his pay, Richards eventually scoring in the 40th minute.

Watford picked up the pace in the second half and put more pressure on their hosts, but could have been in trouble after Gomes was caught by Craig Cathcart’s boot in the 66th minute and was stretchered off.

Fortunately for Watford, their fortunes were set to change as Alan Hutton put the final touch on Troy Deeney’s cross to Ighalo, netting an own goal in the 68th minute. With Watford scoring again in the 84th minute, Deeney finally finding the back of the net with a cracking header, it became increasingly difficult to see a way back for Villa.

The Villains managed to claw one back in the 88th minute thanks to Jordan Ayew, but it wasn’t enough and Villa ended the day on the same five points with which they started, remaining firmly rooted at the bottom of the table.

16' GOAL: A flurry of activity in the box ends in a goal for Ighalo.

33' - SAVE: Great save by Gomes on Sinclair's shot

40' - GOAL! Micah Richards converts Veretout's free kick just outside the area - heading it into the back of the net

60’ - SAVE: A good save there by Gomes, who's now on the ground having collided with one of his own team mates

66' OFF: - Arlauskis replaces injured Gomes, for Watford

68' - GOAL! Hutton scores an own goal for Villa, from Deeney's cross to Ighalo

84' - GOAL! It's a third goal for Watford as Deeney finds the net with a lovely header. Quique Sanchez Flores looks happy with that.

88' - GOAL! Sinclair with the cross to Ayew who finds the net for Villa

Can Villa come back from this? Despite at times putting Watford under considerable pressure, it felt like Villa wasted too much time – time they do not have. With only five points scored in 14 games, no Premier League team with five or fewer points at this stage in the season has escaped relegation. After a number of bad seasons, Villa’s number might finally be up.

Heurelho Gomes (Watford): Where Watford’s defence let them down a couple of times, fortunately they had Gomes – for the first 60 minutes at least – for back up. Villa were denied a number of opportunities by the Brazilian, who certainly earned his keep today. Had he not been stretchered off in the second half after a collision with his team-mate, perhaps Watford’s win would have looked a little more convincing.

Aston Villa: Guzan 6; Hutton 7, Richards 7, Clark 6, Richardson 6; Veretout 6, Sánchez 6, Gueye 6, Gil 6; J Ayew 8; Sinclair 8. Subs: Gestede 6, Traoré 6;

Watford: Gomes 8; Nyom 6, Cathcart 6, Britos 6, Ake 7; Capoue 7, Watson 6, Paredes 6, Abdi 6; Deeney 8, Ighalo 8. Subs: Arlauskis 7; Anya 6; Guedioura 6.