Watford 1 Barnsley 0 - Tykes pay penalty as Troy Deeney nets from spot

The Hornets moved up to third place in the Championship as a result of a 10th victory in 13 games so far at Vicarage Road. No club in the top four English divisions can boast as many home wins.

Watford were thankful for Kiko Femenia’s near-post intervention to stop Victor Adeboyejo setting up Conor Chaplin early on.

Right-back Femenia then launched a long-ranger that only just cleared the crossbar at the other end.

Good defending from Mads Andersen prevented Andre Gray from testing Barnsley goalkeeper Jack Walton before Cauley Woodrow headed a Chaplin cross over. Callum Brittain’s bizarre decision to stick out an arm when Deeney crossed in the 26th minute ended up costing Barnsley.

The ball reared up off his leg but Brittain’s right arm was in such an un-natural position that referee Tim Robinson had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.

Deeney took the penalty and blasted it straight at Walton, who found it simply too powerful to keep out.

That pepped up Watford and it was not long before Gray took the ball round Walton, who had come out of his area. Andersen failed to deal with the shot from an angle that followed but Michal Helik prevented it from crossing the line.

Barnsley were relieved Gray failed to double the lead two minutes before the break. Ismaila Sarr’s pace down the right opened up their defence but Gray could only dink over Walton and wide from 10 yards.

Callum Styles fired a rare Reds reply wide before Gray had a goal ruled out for offside.

Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann pulled off a fine reflex save to deny substitute 
Carlton Morris but there had already been a foul in the Tykes’ build-up.

Watford: Bachmann, Femenia, Troost-Ekong (Cathcart 82), Sierralta, Masina, Sarr, Cleverley (Chalobah 71), Hughes, Sema (Zinckernagel 62), Deeney (Joao Pedro 62), Gray (Ngakia 82). Unused substitutes: Wilmot, Garner, Navarro, Parkes.

Barnsley: Walton, Sollbauer, Andersen, Helik, Brittain, Mowatt, Palmer (Kane 69), Styles (Sibbick 89), Adeboyejo (Frieser 57), Woodrow, Chaplin (Morris 57). Unused substitutes: Schmidt, Oduor, Moon, Collins, Omar.

Referee: T Robinson (West Sussex).

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