Watford 3 – 2 W Brom

Watford were made to work for their first win in six games as Ken Sema’s double sealed a 3-2 win over West Brom and lifted them into the Championship play-offs.

An unpredictable encounter came to life when Sema scored the opener midway through the opening half, just seconds after Watford’s first touch in the West Brom box.

West Brom turned the game on its head from nowhere shortly into the second half, as Conor Townsend equalized from the winning corner with the first shot on target of the night.

The sudden dominance of that confidence shot was punctured 10 minutes later, when Ismael Kone’s deflected shot fell well for Ismaila Sarr to head home.

Wallace then took advantage of another mess, finishing – from an offside position – after a hospital pass from Daniel Bachmann had caught Hamza Choudhury.

The third of three goals in 12 minutes, and what would have been the winner, was unpolished. Sema’s powerful attack saw Erik Pieters lie past Josh Griffiths and give Watford their third lead.

He will, finally, see this one out to lift himself fifth in the Championship, now five points ahead of the West Brom side four points outside the play-offs and without a win in three games.

How Watford bounced back from poor form and the Baggies’ revival

There was no sign of drama to follow as Watford were booed by their own support for nearly 10 minutes into a lifeless start at Vicarage Road, amid both lack of confidence and confidence.

Neither side managed a single tap in the opposition box before Choudhury’s threaded ball found Mario Gaspar in the West Brom area.

His cross was turned in by Keinan Davis but lost to Sema, who had a golden opportunity.

West Brom could feel the pain of having been too complacent so far, and further frustration at their own work, with John Swift heading home Wallace’s cross.

But the time will finally come, from an unlikely source. An unimpressed Carlos Corberan made two half-time changes, bringing on Grady Diangana and Jayson Molumby, and saw his side improve rapidly.

It took another 10 minutes to finally register a shot on target, but Swift’s powerful drive from another Wallace post was turned in by Bachmann, as the visitors finally began to apply the pressure.

Watford failed to clear Swift’s subsequent corner and when Pieters latched on to a loose ball forward, Townsend stuck out a leg to beat Bachmann and score just his second league goal in five seasons with West Brom.

The Baggies then enjoyed writing the best game after equalizing, but with the unpredictable nature of the game they were never safe, and they were placed on the back foot again when Kone’s innocuous effort was deflected perfectly into the path of Sarr for another simple finish.

Kicks and turns were in full swing now and Bachmann made a poor decision to quickly bring up his fourth goal of the night with a poor ball to Choudhury who was picked out by Swift, whose good backheel reached Wallace, who beat the stranded keeper.

Watford still had their own ideas when it looked as if their play-off hopes might need another shot, and it took just seven minutes for them to take the lead for the third time.

Sema drove from the right and bent his effort into the far corner, which took a major touch from Pieters and nestled just inside the near post.

Corberan threw his body and forwards in search of another equalizer but West Brom’s second chance finally came up, as they slumped to a fourth game without a win in five, with the Baggies now nearing the bottom half of the top six.

Player of the match: Ken Sema

Watford double goalscorer Ken Sema told Sky Sports:

“It was a game we had to win – and we did, so I’m happy. It was a big game at home and it was tough, a good win too.

“The win is 100 percent mine. That’s my goal, of course.”

Bilic: We deserved to win

Watford manager Slaven Bilic told Sky Sports:

“It was a very nervous game, we played against a direct opponent, and we started well. In the first half we were the better team, created better chances and it should have been 2-0, maybe 3-0.

“They changed their shape a bit at half-time, and we reacted by putting someone else in midfield. We conceded two poor goals, but we showed character and quality, and deserved to win.

“We are not complete – this is the first time in a long time that we have a line-up with all four creative positions with good quality players at the highest level.”

Corberan: We are very fragile after scoring

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan told Sky Sports:

“This is a game to draw many conclusions. We didn’t play enough in the first half, we didn’t show what we wanted to show or defend how we wanted.

“We didn’t show the identity and behavior that we wanted to show. We tried to change in the second half, if we lose we want to do it show what we want to show.

“We did more in the second half, but we didn’t manage the minutes after scoring the goal well. We showed a level of fragility that didn’t allow us to get more rewards from the game.”