Watford held on to repel a late comeback and beat Cardiff City 3-2 in the Premier League at Vicarage Road on Saturday, leaving their opponents still searching for a first away victory this season.
Spanish forward Gerard Deulofeu, who replaced Isaac Success in the Watford lineup, slipped past two Cardiff defenders in the box before drilling a finish past goalkeeper Neil Etheridge to give the hosts an early lead.
With momentum on their side, Watford created further chances through Roberto Pereyra but Etheridge kept the visitors in the contest with two fine saves just before halftime.
Watford returned from the break with no signs of complacency as Deulofeu's perfectly weighted pass found full back Jose Holebas, who curled a superb effort into the top corner to make it 2-0.
Portuguese midfielder Domingos Quina then netted his first Premier League goal from the edge of the box as Watford seemed set for a convincing victory.
But the visitors roared back into the match when forward Junior Hoilett fired a curling effort past Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.
Cardiff, now 16th, looked as though they could pull off an unlikely draw when Bobby Reid scored to make it 3-2 in the 82nd minute, but Watford held their nerve to record a first league win in seven matches and move up to ninth.
Source: espn.co.uk