Watford beat Wrexham 3-1 at Vicarage Road last night.
Goals from Marc Bola, Edo Kayembe and Edoardo Bove were enough to get the Hornets over the line.
Ed Still made the decision to make four changes to the side that lost 3-1 away at Stoke City at the weekend.
One forced intervention saw Mattie Pollock return to the side after Stephen Mfuni’s broken ankle, which was confirmed on Monday, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
The second change saw Pierre Ekwah replace Nampalys Mendy for his first Hornets start, whilst Nestory Irankunda came in to replace Tom Ince after his spectacular goal off the bench.
Despite Ed Still stating in the media that Luca Kjerrumgaard’s fitness wasn’t certain for yesterday’s game, saying his knee looked like “a helmet” he decided to start him.
The former Charleroi coach was limited to options due to the homegrown rule, with Vivaldo Semedo dropping out due to that.
However, Mamadou Doumbia returned from a three-match ban and was available from the off, but Still brought Kjerumgaard back into the starting eleven.
The Hornets managed to keep Wrexham at bay in the entirety of the first half, denying them the chance of any shots.
Despite having an equal share of possession with 50% Wrexham didn’t look at the races throughout the first 45 minutes of football.
Watford got the opener with a quick transition from defence to attack, with a burst of Chakvetadze and a clever back heel pass to Bola, who slotted it over Okonkwo in the Wrexham net.
The Hornets got a well-deserved second goal with another transition from defence to attack with great speed by Irankunda to get past his man to play it to Kayembe, who slotted home into the bottom left corner to put the Hornets in control.
Watford hung on a tightrope after Wrexham’s early second-half goal by Max Cleworth, before Edoardo Bove sealed the win with a late goal in the 93rd minute.
Clever work by Mamadou Doumbia to get past the defence led to Bola’s shot crashing against the bar, which landed at Bove’s feet, and he was able to fire home.
Bove suffered a cardiac arrest back in 2024 and had not played football in over a year before joining Watford in the January transfer window.
Bove’s goal against Wrexham is his first goal in English football and also marks the first goal he has scored since November 2024 in a 5-1 win against Roma for Fiorentina before his cardiac arrest.
The Hornets Move to 9th in the table, five points behind Wrexham, who stay in sixth position.
Watford will be looking to close the gap on Wrexham against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon if Wrexham fail to beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
