Watford 0-2 Brighton & Hove Albion: Seagulls inflict more misery on Hornets
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Neal Maupay scored his eighth Premier League goal of the season
Roy Hodgson says his Watford side "will need a lot of mental strength" to secure Premier League survival this season after Brighton inflicted further misery on the relegation-threatened Hornets at Vicarage Road.
Hodgson is yet to see his side score a goal since taking charge three games ago and the club remain second bottom of the Premier League, three points from safety having not won since November.
Watford's struggles in front of goal continued on Saturday despite Emmanuel Dennis proving a threat, striking the crossbar after a neat solo run in the second half.
"The only people who will get us out of this are the players," Hodgson told BBC Match of the Day.
Asked whether his record of never having been relegated from the top flight could aid the Hornets' survival bid, Hodgson said: "It puts me in good stead going forward, but I need a group of players with the same resilience and ability to get over disappointments."
Striker Neal Maupay looped a superb half-volley into the top corner from Tariq Lamptey's low cross moments before the break to open the scoring for Brighton.
The visitors always looked more likely to double their lead and they did so eight minutes from time when Adam Webster bundled in from a corner.
"In the first half we didn't play anywhere near as well as I was expecting," added Hodgson. "We were better at the start of the second half but still without creating the threat or goal chances we needed.
"The game gets put to bed with a scrambled goal from a corner. We were hoping for a lot and to start a revival, so now we go to the next game and hope we can start it then."
Graham Potter's Brighton remain ninth and on a seven-match unbeaten run in the top flight that has seen them edge towards the European spots.
Potter's Seagulls on the rise
Potter insists his side are not thinking about Europe but if the Seagulls continue their current form they will soon be in contention - they are in fact only seven points adrift of West Ham in fourth, with a game in hand to come.
The visitors dominated possession at Vicarage Road but it took a moment of magic from Maupay to open the scoring, curling a looping effort into the far corner.
Watford 0-2 Brighton: Potter praises his side's 'courage and personality'
Brighton have only lost four Premier League fixtures so far this campaign - a record only bettered by Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea - and are enjoying their longest unbeaten streak in the top flight.
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster made a smart stop from a Marc Cucurella drive and Jakub Moder saw an effort deflect wide before Webster pounced to wrap up the victory, with Watford failing to clear a corner.
Hodgson, who took a call from former Hornets chairman Elton John earlier this week, has only been in charge a little over two weeks but no doubt will be increasingly worried about his side's lack of goals.
The 74-year-old has witnessed pretty much everything in his distinguished career and this was his 150th Premier League game since turning 65, only the third manager to achieve such a feat after Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Robson.
However, this may also be one of Hodgson's toughest tasks and his side were booed off by a section of the home fans at both half-time and the final whistle.
Watford 0-2 Brighton: Hodgson says team didn't play as well as he was expecting
He will welcome the return of the influential Ismaila Sarr, who only returned to training on Friday after winning the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal, having scored five goals in 12 league games before a knee injury in November.
The veteran boss brought Sarr on at half-time and he tested Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez late on, but it was team-mate Dennis who went closest to scoring Watford's first goal of the Hodgson era.
The forward caused problems when drifting into the space behind Brighton's right wing-back Lamptey and clipped the top of the crossbar after wriggling in from that touchline in the second half.
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