The two combined to encourage Alan Hutton to put through his own goal and then for Deeney’s fourth goal in five games, when the Nigerian’s shot deflected for his partner to head home.
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Remi Garde’s side were without a league win in 16 weeks since the opening day of the season, but they responded well and should have found an equaliser shortly after falling behind but Ayew somehow sliced wide from close range when completely unmarked.
Micah Richards hit his first Villa goal to equalise before half time and Jordan Ayew gave the hosts hope with an excellent late strike, but it did little to cheer the Frenchman afterwards.
“This season is hard but I believe that we can stay in the Premier League”.
Aston Villa are now on a 13-match winless run in the Premier League, and they are already seven points away from safety.
However, Garde is refusing to give up, and said that he “can’t say we are dead” due to the “way we played today”, however he does think that “everybody has to improve their level”. “But I’m not silly, I know that every game we don’t win makes it more and more hard”.
In his first game in charge, Garde’s team held title-chasing Manchester City to an encouraging 0-0 draw at Villa Park.
“It is hard as obviously we have a lack of confidence both defensively and offensively”.
“He is a big part of the soul of this team”, said Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores. “We have the possibility of playing different styles with Deeney and Ighalo”. This earned him a move to Villa in January 2007, and he was to become a vitally important player as he helped them to a League Cup final and three successive sixth-placed finishes before leaving in 2011.
The Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes had to go to hospital for checks on a neck injury after a second-half collision with team-mate Craig Cathcart but was given the all-clear.
“They are not strikers who only play well if they score”. “He received a kick in the head, at the moment he has concussion or something like this”.
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“I don’t see any players fed up about the situation or what I am asking of them – not at all”.
