Watford Secures Fourth Consecutive Home Win, Crushes Middlesbrough's Promotion Hopes

Watford secured a commanding 3-0 home victory over Middlesbrough, marking their fourth consecutive home win and their first clean sheet after 13 matches, moving them up to 10th place in the Championship standings. Javier Gracia, in his second win since returning as Watford manager, celebrated the team's improved defensive and offensive performance, with goalkeeper Egil Selvik playing a key role by denying multiple Middlesbrough attempts. Imran Louza opened the scoring with his fifth goal in seven games, assisted by Kwadwo Baah, while Emil Kjerrumgaard scored twice, including a goal initially thought to be from teammate Mamadou Doumbia. Middlesbrough, despite dominating possession and creating chances, struggled to convert opportunities and suffered defensive lapses, which compounded their challenges in the promotion race. The defeat was particularly notable as it came under the management of Rob Edwards, who had been previously sacked by Watford and returned to a hostile reception at Vicarage Road. Historically, Middlesbrough have struggled away at Watford, with few wins in recent visits, while Watford has demonstrated resilience by gaining points from losing positions throughout the season.