Sat Oct 07, 2023 4:20 pm
BBC:
Watford halted a run of three successive Championship defeats as they recovered to draw at Cardiff City.
Watford with a win now in ten games.
Mark McGuinness put the hosts in front with an emphatic close-range finish in the first half.
A blunder from Cardiff goalkeeper Jak Alnwick allowed Vakoun Bayo to equalise after the break.
Further clumsy Bluebirds defending gave Watford chances to earn just a third league win of the season but their finishing was wayward.
The point lifts Valerien Ismael's side one place up to 20th in the Championship table, while Cardiff also move up one position to eighth, one point adrift of the play-off spots heading into October's international break.
Optimism has been building at Cardiff this season, though it was slightly tempered by a midweek defeat at Middlesbrough - which ended a four-match winning run - and a growing injury list which now includes Aaron Ramsey, Callum O'Dowda, Yakou Meite and Kion Etete.
Even without that phalanx of attacking talent, Cardiff still posed the greater threat in the early stages against their out-of-sorts opponents.
Karlan Grant had the home side's first chance as his powerful low drive was palmed away by Daniel Bachmann, with Wesley Hoedt getting to the rebound first to deny Ollie Tanner a tap-in.
Grant had a better opportunity soon afterwards, dispossessing Edo Kayembe near halfway and surging towards the penalty area before wastefully blasting over the crossbar.
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Although Cardiff's forwards lacked a clinical edge, centre-back McGuinness had no such problem as he hooked in a thumping volley from a corner to put the hosts ahead.
Watford should have equalised before the break as Hoedt's flick-on from a corner found Yaser Asprilla, who somehow headed over from a yard out.
Bayo then had a glorious chance when he latched on to a poor back-pass from Perry Ng, only to see his low effort saved by Alnwick.
There was more charitable Cardiff defending after the break and this time Bayo took full advantage as he seized on a woeful touch from Alnwick, went round the Bluebirds keeper and finished into an empty net.
That goal was the least Watford deserved and it sparked a spell of pressure from the visitors.
Cardiff handed their opponents yet another chance on a plate, this time Ryan Wintle passing meekly to Tom Ince, who blazed over the bar from a promising position.
That was the last real chance of the contest, with both sides' late attempts to find a winner amounting to nothing.