Publications
Partners
London - Etienne Capoue's goal on his return from injury proved the difference as Watford beat ailing Swansea 1-0 on Saturday in their Premier League clash leaving the losers without a win in six games.
Capoue's first-half goal gave the Hornets their fourth successive home win and lifted them onto 40 points which should ensure they enjoy another season in the Premier League.
For Swansea, though, the gloom deepens as they remain entrenched in the bottom three -- the bright start to Paul Clement's tenure a distant memory -- two points shy of fourth from bottom Hull.
Swansea started the strongest and their outstanding performer of the season Gylfi Sigurdsson forced Heurelho Gomes into a fine save early on.
Gomes was less assured minutes later as he came to punch away Sigurdsson's cross but only as far as Federico Fernandez's head and with the former Spurs goalie scrambling to get back the Swansea player's header scraped the bar.
Watford had very little of the ball but they did go close to breaking the deadlock as in-form Troy Deeney's shot took a deflection and forced a good save from Lukasz Fabianski.
Sigurdsson and leading scorer Fernando Llorente, restored to the starting line-up by Clement after recovering from injury, both had shots on target as Swansea turned the pressure on Watford but Gomes answered the call on both occasions.
Indeed it was to be the hosts who edged ahead three minutes before half-time as Capoue took advantage of Alfie Mawson dallying too long on the ball and though his first attempt was saved by Fabianski he knocked home the rebound.
Clement gambled early by taking off Dutchman Luciano Narsingh and sending on the club's record signing Borja Baston who again failed to show he was worth the 15million the Swans splashed out for him last year.
Swansea conjured up just two worthwhile chances in their pursuit of a valuable point and to stop the rot but spurned them both in time added on.
