Masina’s first goal gives Watford the three points against Nottingham Forest

With 41 points taken in 17 home games played so far, it’s safe to say that the Hornets had ambitions to improve its record this season.

 

Conversely, Nottingham travelled to Greater London with little certainty, with only three goals scored in their last six matches. Heading into the fixture, Nottingham Forest was still orphan of its striker Lewis Grabban with a harm string issue.

 

The first few minutes showed all Watford's attacking ambitions with a first entry move that led to a corner kick after only two minutes.

 

The first chance of the game won’t take long to come for Watford. Following a good move, Kiko assessed a very good cross to find the head of Gray but the striker could only find the hands of Samba (5). Immediate reaction for Forest with Knockaert taking a long shot but couldn’t find the net (6).

 

But Watford definitely was the best team on the pitch, creating chances from nowhere. On a corner kick for Nottingham, the Hornets started a quick counterattack only for Knockaert having to foul Sarr after making deliberate contact (9), resulting in an early yellow card for the French man.

 

Danger was getting closer and closer and, eventually, Watford scored the opener (17). After a very good move by Sarr on the right, Samba pushed the ball straight onto Masina’s feet. The left back controlled and shot between the legs of Samba to score the opener. Samba stayed a few minutes on the floor, visibly hurt after a contact with Gray before Masina’s shot.

 

A goal as a symbol of the total domination from Watford, with a Nottingham squad that couldn’t manage to cross the midfield.

 

Another big chance came for Watford with Joao Pedro before the half-hour mark. The Brazilian benefited a cheeky pass on the edge of the box, but his shot went far off the bar.

 

But the last chance of the first half fell for Nottingham and Krovinovic, the first Forest chance for a while. The Benfica-loanee tried his luck after an unconventional move but his shot didn’t trouble Bachmann (32).

 

1-0 for the locals at half time, with the away side without single shot on target.

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The second half started the same way as the first did, with an early chance for Joao Pedro from the left, forcing Samba to make a good stop (51). Then came Sarr with a good ball for Kiko who crossed towards Gray in the back post! The striker missed the ball on what could have been a great chance to score a second goal for Watford (56).

 

The first Nottingham Forest chance came just after the hour-mark, with a long shot from distance by Knockaert, not far from Bachmann’s left post (66).

 

Arrived two days earlier, Carlos Sanchez made his first Watford appearance a few seconds later (67). The first professional game for the 35-year old Colombian international for more than a year.

 

Nottingham then started to become more incisive, finding passes they couldn’t find before, as well as chances they hadn’t created before. On a cross coming from the right, Bong placed a header but couldn’t reach the target as he saw his chance going on the right of the post (71).

 

Seconds later, Cafu tried a shot from the edge of the box. A shot deflected but that went very near to the post (73).

 

Watford got one last chance in the last fifteen minutes, with Zinckernagel who shot after good work from Sema. The Danish couldn’t find the net (77).

 

The last few minutes were very indecisive with both teams not far to score, but Watford seemed to manage its lead.

 

88th minute, looked like a game-changer. Long ball from Garner to Taylor up front. Troost-Ekong intervened and cut the ball. But Murray was there to intercept, allowing the ball to come back to Taylor’s foot. The striker shot and scored but the goal was disallowed for an offside.

 

Nothing else to underline in the last couple of minutes, with Watford getting another important win. Three points that helps the Hornets to mind the gap with Brentford to take the 2nd place of the table, before Brentford’s postponed game against Rotherham and Swansea’s two postponed ones. For Nottingham, it will now be necessary to get a few more points to ensure their survival in the Championship at the end of the season.

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'Masina is a big player, right now he's in a good moment', praised Xisco Munoz after the game. 'Now is the time to push to change different things, but most importantly he has very good ambition. He wants to give the best for the team, sometimes he thinks more about the team than the individual', added the Hornets manager.

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'There wasn't a lot in it, and that's one thing I continue to speak to the players about - we look at why Watford are where they are and we are where we are. That's the difference', said Nottingham Forest manager Chris Hughton post-game. 'We've had games against top six where the level of performance has been good and not too far away from the opposition', continued the former Brighton manager.

 

Man of the match – Will Hughes. In line with his recent performances, Watford’s midfielder delivered a great game, reigning in midfield. The tireless recovering midfielder stepped up quality interventions in the heart of the game, preventing Nottingham from existing offensively, mainly in the first half. As a good captain, Hughes made use of his sense of end-of-match management to allow Watford to keep all the three points and the clean sheet.