Preston North End 1-5 Watford: Vakoun Bayo double sparks Hornets rout

Vakoun Bayo equalised for Watford just before half-time

Vakoun Bayo scored twice as Watford came from behind to record a thumping win at Preston in the Championship.

The Hornets made it three victories in their last five after Will Keane had touched in the opening goal for the hosts in the first half.

Bayo headed in the equaliser just before the break against a Lilywhites side that has won just one of their past seven home games.

Watford opened up in the second half as Matheus Martins, Edo Kayembe, Bayo again and Ismael Kone all found the net.

Preston went into the game with renewed hopes of climbing back into the top six having won four points from away games at Norwich and Huddersfield.

Their poor home form cost them again however, as they fell apart in the second half on the way to a third successive home defeat.

Watford went into the game following a home defeat by Ipswich and with the knowledge that they had won just once in their last 16 visits to Deepdale.

The travelling fans might have wondered if that dismal record was to be extended as Keane put Preston ahead with a delicate finish after Liam Millar had dashed down the left and sent in a cross.

Both sides were creating chances at will, with Watford keeper Ben Hamer producing fine saves to deny Jordan Storey, Brad Potts and Millar, while Bayo was denied by Jack Whatmough's superb goalline clearance.

Bayo was not to be denied just before half-time, heading in Wesley Hoedt's cross to level things up.

Preston were behind just seconds after the restart as Kone sent Brazilian forward Martins away for a sharp finish, and after another point-blank Hamer block from Potts, Kayembe crashed in Watford's third from outside the box.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe's response was a quadruple substitution but Kayembe's pass again split the home defence and Bayo tucked away his second.

Kone fired in another long-range finish and Watford could have had six as Mileta Rajovic glanced a header narrowly wide from a Giorgi Chakvetadze cross.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"First half I thought we were fantastic, we continued where we left off against Huddersfield - on the front foot, scored a good goal and possibly should have scored a couple more.

"At half-time we're thinking 'Can we get back on the front foot and do the right things?' which didn't materialise.

"From our kick-off we don't challenge, and one ball through the middle of us kills us off. We don't deal with it, 2-1, and it knocked the stuffing out of us.

"I haven't watched (the goals) back yet purposely. I'll watch them on Monday with the group and we'll analyse it. Against a good team like Watford you have to keep them at bay and we gifted them opportunities.

"A couple were from the edge of the box and we've been solid at getting blocks on them. Today that wasn't the case."

Watford manager Valerien Ismael told BBC Three Counties Radio:

"I'm very pleased with the performance, with the attitude. It was a very strong away game.

"We spoke after the Southampton and Ipswich games about how we have to become ruthless and waken our killer instinct and at the beginning of the game we had two big chances to score, especially with Bayo, but we didn't.

"But after we conceded the goal the players stayed calm and came back into the game and (at half-time) we said 'okay guys, we are on the right way now, we have to become really ruthless when we get the chance'.

"The first shot goes in, and it makes us completely different. This is what we missed in the previous game, because we were always close.

"We rotated a bit today to give us some freshness and it worked well."