Troy Deeney scored one and made another in the space of four second-half minutes as Watford maintained their Championship promotion charge at Stoke City.

He then turned architect with a superbly weighted pass into the path of Ismaila Sarr, who ran on to drill a low right-foot shot inside Bursik’s right-hand upright.

Steven Fletcher scored from close range to give Stoke hope on 83 minutes, but the Potters never seriously threatened another as their poor league run stretched to one just one win in 10 league games.

It was only Watford’s third away league win of the campaign but it lifts Xisco Munoz’s men above Brentford to third, level on points with second-placed Swansea City – and within seven points of leaders Norwich City.

Aside from a huge turned-down first-half penalty shout when Rhys Norrington-Davies attempted to wrestled Adam Masina to the floor, the game had been incident free until Watford’s next penalty shout was this time answered. Cue Deeney.

The Watford skipper had also smashed home a penalty winner to beat Barnsley at Vicarage Road in midweek – and there was no mistake again as he scorched his eighth goal of the season slightly up and to the right of the helpless Bursik.

That was his 139th goal for Watford in 412 appearances, taking him within three of Ross Jenkins, another Hornets legend, on the club’s all-time list of scorers, led by Jenkins’ old strike partner Luther Blissett (186).

But Deeney quickly showed he is not just about power and bluster, with a quality delivery down the inside-right channel for Sarr to hit the killer second.

Injury-hit Stoke, who have struggled for goals since losing both Lee Gregory and top scorer Tyrese Campbell with knee problems, did at least pull one back.

Fletcher’s late strike, set up by Joe Allen, was only their sixth in their past eight home games. But boss Michael O’Neill was frustrated to see his side still five points adrift of the play-off places, with the prospect of an even bigger gap by the time is weekend is over.

Sourced From BBC