Danny Ings scores twice as Southampton beat struggling Watford

Southampton all but secured safety after easing to a 3-1 win against Watford in a dramatic encounter at Vicarage Road.

The visitors barely gave Watford a moment's rest in the first half as they harried them off the ball and pressed their hosts into making mistakes.

And while they rarely created chances for themselves, Saints only needed one, with Danny Ings grabbing his 20th goal of the season.

The striker found space despite the attentions of seven Watford players and lashed into the bottom corner from outside the box to put his team ahead at half-time.

The Hornets emerged from the tunnel a team transformed, with Ismaila Sarr, Will Hughes and Abdoulaye Doucoure each having chances in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

They were dealt a suckerpunch though when Ings doubled his tally and doubled the visitors' lead. After all the hosts' hardwork, it was Ben Foster who threw the ball straight to the striker, who made no mistake in punishing the 'keeper's blunder.

Nigel Pearson's men rallied after substitute Jose Holebas' brilliant cross forced Jan Bednarek to divert the ball into his own net, but their revival were shortlived after James Ward-Prowse netted a sublime free-kick just two minutes later to restore Saints' two-goal lead.

That goal took the wind out of Watford's sails and Southampton coasted towards all three points, giving them 40 in the league for the first time in three years and surely guaranteeing safety. Watford, however, go deeper into a relegation scrap.

Danny Ings among best in PL. Just how good is he? Danny Ings has shown just what he can do this year when he goes through a campaign unscathed and untroubled by injury. He's simply ruthless in front of goal and barely needs to check where the net is before blasting home. Give him an inch and he takes a mile.

The striker has 18 goals in the Premier League this season, more than Mohamed Salah, Sergio Aguerio and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Only Jamie Vardy with 19 is edging him at the moment.

Danny Ings (Southampton) Danny Ings grabbed his 17th and 18th goals of the season and moved one behind Vardy in the race for the Golden Boot. Give him a chance at your own peril - the striker was ruthless this afternoon.

Watford: Foster 4, Masina 6, Dawson 5, Cathcart 7, Femenia 6, Hughes 6, Capoue 5, Pereyra 6, Doucoure 5, Sarr 6, Deeney 5. Subs. Welbeck 5, Pedro 5, Pussetto 4, Holebas 6.

Saints: McCarthy 6, Walker-Peters 7, Vestergaard 6, Bednarek 6, Bertrand 7, Romeu 7, Ward-Prowse 7, Smallbone 6, Redmond 7, Long 6, Ings 9. Subs. Armstrong 5, Adams 5.

13' - CHANCE! Pereyra's peach of a ball plays Sarr in behind. The winger pulls it back into space in the box but there's no one there to strike it in! Good moment for Watford.

16' - GOAL! Watford 0-1 Southampton (Ings) Pure Danny Ings and that's 20 goals for the season. And it's a great goal. Ings makes space for himself outside the box and he lashes home from 23 yards into the bottom corner.

24' - CHANCE! Ward-Prowse flashes a shot from six yards just over the bar. Ings would have scored.

47' - CHANCE! Pereyra swings in a free-kick from the right that causes chaos in the box before Sarr finds the space to whack it goalwards. Blocked by a white shirt!

61' CHANCE! Pereyra with the corner and Hughes get a voley away which is brilliantly blocked by Bertrand.

70' - GOAL! Watford 0-2 Southampton (Ings) Another for Ings and it's a huge blunder from Ben Foster! Foster throws it out and just gives it straight to Ings who drags it out the air, makes his way towards goal and whacks it in via a deflection off Dawson. Lethal.

80' GOAL! Watford1-2 Southampton (Bednarek og) Are Watford back in this?! A great ball in by Holebas causes mayhem and Bednarek puts into his own net! Big finish ahead.

82' - GOAL! Watford 1-3 Southampton (Ward-Prowse) GAME OVER!? Ward-Prowse does it again!! He fizzes in a beautiful free-kick from 25 yards. Watford had just got back into the game and now they're two goals down again.

88' - POST! Redmond blasts the post! Could be 5-1!

Southampton have won eight away league matches this season – the most they’ve ever won away from home in a top-flight campaign.

Watford have won just one of their last 10 Premier League matches (W1 D3 L6), a 3-0 win over champions Liverpool in February.

Since the Premier League resumed this month, none of the teams currently in the bottom five of the league have won a game – from 13 games combined, those five teams have won just three points (P13 W0 D3 L10).

Danny Ings (10) is the first Southampton player to reach double figures for goals away from home in a single Premier League season since Matt Le Tissier in 1993/94 (12).