Watford 1-0 Hull City: FLW report as Sissoko restores Hornets' play-off hopes

Football League World

·9 April 2025

Watford 1-0 Hull City: FLW report as Sissoko restores Hornets' play-off hopes

FLW report from Vicarage Road for this Championship clash

Watford closed the gap on the Championship play-off places to four points with a 1-0 victory over Hull City at Vicarage Road.

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Moussa Sissoko notched the decisive winner 10 minutes into the second period, flicking home a neat cross from Caleb Wiley amid next-to-no pressure from Ruben Selles' rearguard.

Despite making an array of attacking changes as the contest wore on, Hull rarely troubled Egil Selvik in the Hornets net and have now suffered two defeats in their last three games with the Tigers still sitting precariously above the relegation trap door - just two points above Cardiff City in 22nd after their last-gasp equaliser away to Preston North End.

Watford 1-0 Hull City

It took 30 seconds for the first opportunity to arise as Hull were caught knapping straight from kick-off, with Edo Kayembe being afforded plenty of time and space to pick his spot and see a stunning effort cannon off the underside of the bar from 25 yards with Ivor Pandur standing no chance.

It took 10 minutes for Selles' men to conjure up their first half-chance as Steven Alzate picked out Joe Gelhardt in space on the right wing, and after receiving the ball in a more advanced position, the Colombian midfielder's lofted cross would prove too high for Joao Pedro, with Charlie Hughes then firing a sighter straight into Egil Selvik's grasp from 20 yards.

Tom Dele-Bashiru was the next to try his luck from the edge of the box after drifting away from Regan Slater but firing a shot well wide of the target, with Matt Crooks also firing wide for the Tigers less than a minute later after latching onto Alfie Jones' through ball but failing to find the top-left corner from just inside the box.

Just before the half-hour mark, some neat interplay between Gelhardt and Slater forced a Hull opening on the right once again, with Crooks found inside the box, although the offside flag would be raised as he attempted to beat the Norwegian keeper with a back-heel.

The Hornets also found plenty of joy out wide themselves in the first half, with the visitors fortunate that nobody could latch onto Kayembe's square ball, before Hughes eventually dug his side out of trouble after thwarted efforts from Rocco Vata and Mamadou Doumbia.

Eight minutes before the break, Vata was able to pick out Dele-Bashiru 20 yards out once more, but his second long-range effort was deflected wide by Hughes before the City rearguard eventually dealt with the subsequent set-piece.

Two minutes before the break, Hull were grateful for the services of Pandur once again as Sissoko's ball across the face of goal fell at Vata's feet, with the youngster's curling effort losing enough power for the Croatian to palm wide.

The opening minute of the second 45 minutes would echo the first period as James Abankwah found Jeremy Ngakia making an unopposed dart down the Watford right, with the full-back's low drive falling wide of Pandur's right-hand post.

Vata was then able to drift away from Gelhardt and Coyle as he made his way into the box, with the former Celtic man seeing a curling effort deflected wide before Ngakia was given the freedom of Vicarage Road to fire another fierce goalbound effort which eventually rose high of the crossbar.

It took Hull six minutes of the half to spring a counter-attack of their own with Gelhardt stealing the ball off Imran Louza and eventually laying it off to Pedro after a burst through the middle. However, the experienced forward's strike was comfortable for Selvik.

However, Cleverley's side would take a deserved lead on 55 minutes as Vata played the overlapping Wiley through on the left flank, and the experienced Sissoko was on hand to guide the American's cross past Pandur with a smart flick into the right-hand corner of the net.

Selles' side looked to capitalise on an error from Selvik and Mattie Pollock on 65 minutes as Lincoln's header from a looping Coyle cross caused a brief mishap in the Watford defence, before the shot-stopper was on hand to parry substitute Abu Kamara's first opportunity away.

Kamara and Coyle combined to provide the next chance for Hull to draw themselves level, but Sean McLoughlin's tepid header was directed straight at an untroubled Hornets keeper.

The Irishman glanced another header wide seven minutes from time after connecting with Kasey Palmer's inviting free-kick, summing up what had been a lacklustre attacking display from the relegation-threatened side.

In the final minute of normal time, Ngakia looked to pick out former Hull man, Tom Ince, but Jones was on hand to stop a dangerous cross from reaching the 33-year-old who looked to be the scourge of his former side.

The visiting supporters would be cursing their luck twice more as the clock ticked into six minutes of added time as McLoughlin failed to connect with Nordin Amrabat's cross, before Alzate could only fire his latest effort into the crowd.

Kyle Joseph looked to end his 13-game barren run without a goal since joining from Blackpool but failed to generate sufficient power in what was the final effort of the 90, with James Bell calling time moments later.

FT: Watford 1-0 Hull City