Huddersfield Town beat Watford 4-1 in a memorable encounter. Having not scored away from home since the opening day of the season, Town’s drought turned into a flood of goals.
Here are how the individual players performed.
Lössl – 8 out of 10
Made a couple of key saves in the late stages to stop Watford from getting back in the game.
Löwe – 7 out of 10
Was doing well until he had to be subbed due to injury. He looked gutted as he left the field just before half-time.
Schindler – 8 out of 10
Not thoroughly tested, but broke up play well in midfield and provided a strong base for Town to build from.
Zanka – 8 out of 10
Solid again. Made some good headed clearances to stop Watford from getting chances in the box.
Hadergjonaj – 8 out 10
Up against one of the Premier League’s standout talents in Richarlson and did a decent job of keeping him quiet. Also provided an outlet down the right when going forward.
Hogg – 7 out of 10
The second yellow card seemed very harsh, almost like the ref was trying to level things up. His first booking was avoidable though, so he put himself under pressure. Other than those incidents he played very well. He was more attacking than usual, which gave us more options in the opposition half.
Mooy – 9 out of 10
When Mooy plays well, Town play well. This was a game where he was at his best, dictating the play and starting the attacks. He was a bit lucky that his first goal wasn’t cleared before it bounced off him and in, but he did well to be in a position to score. Also took his penalty very well.
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van La Parra – 7 out of 10
Not one of the standout performers on the day, but made some decent runs forward. Could have scored at least one but didn’t take his chances.
Kachunga – 8 out of 10
I’m delighted that he’s scored his first Premier League goal. It feels like justice that the goal stood despite being offside, given he had a legitimate goal ruled out for offside in the Leicester game.
The injury to his knee that led to his substitution early in the first-half looked nasty. I hope it’s nothing serious but it looks like he’ll be out for at least a few games over the busy festive period.
Quaner – 9 out of 10
What a player! He might not be elegant when he moves around the pitch but he was so effective against Watford. Deeney’s sending off was a direct result of Quaner frustrating them with his strength and control.
He had a golden opportunity to score his first Premier League goal. He beat the keeper with his shot but not the Watford defender who cleared off the line. If he keeps playing like this it’ll come soon enough.
Depoitre – 9 out of 10
When we signed Depoitre I expected a big awkward lump that could win balls in the air but little else. Don’t get me wrong, he is a big awkward lump but he’s much more than that too. He worked tirelessly and made life hard for Watford’s defence.
His goal was a testament to his effort and ability, working hard to get on the ball and then doing well to beat the keeper and curl it in.
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Substitutes
Ince – 8 out of 10
Still no goal, but a decent performance nonetheless. He really helped take the pressure off towards the end by holding the ball up and running it into the corner.
Malone – 8 out of 10
I’m not the biggest fan of Malone, but I have to admit that he did well when he replaced Löwe. While I’m not sure he’s as strong defensively, he offers more going forward and looked skilful and aggressive when he had the ball.
Williams – 7 out of 10
Helped to steady the ship after Hogg’s red card and made some good runs upfield. He’s had to be patient at times so far this season, but Hogg’s suspension should give him a chance to stake a claim on a midfield starting position.
Surprised that DW has not tried Kachunga in the number 10 role before now. He was bought as a central striker and played really well in that problem position before he was injured.