Wolves 4-0 Watford: Bruno Lage’s men run riot against the struggling Hornets

Perhaps the only compliment you can pay Watford is this: it was rather impressive just how much calamity, comedy and catastrophe they managed to squeeze into eight minutes.

This was three points gifted with a kiss. Recorded delivery. The works.

For 13 minutes, very little happened. By the quarter mark, however, Wolves led 3-0. Raul Jimenez,

Ruben Neves was superb and capped off his display with a stunning close-range lob 

Hwang Hee-chan and some socially-distant defenders combined for the opener. Then Cucho Hernandez put one in his own net. Then Ben Foster fluffed a clearance, gifting Daniel Podence an open goal. 

No ground has been as starved of goals as Molineux this season. No wonder they enjoyed this. All it lacked was moment of real quality. Thankfully, Ruben Neves provided that five minutes from time, his delicious chip adding cherry to the cake Watford had baked.

And so Wolves’ run of three straight defeats is over. Watford helped them end a similar spell earlier this season, too. Unfortunately there are no prizes for charity in this league and so Watford remain three points from safety.

This result won’t condemn them. But if Roy Hodgson fails to steer them clear of danger, those eight minutes will go a long way to explaining why.

Raul Jimenez’s close range strike put Wolves ahead in the 13th minute of the game at Molinuex

The Mexican celebrates after putting away his sixth Premier League goal of the season 

Just five minutes later the home side had a second as Cucho Hernandez netted an own goal 

The visitors continued to flirt with disaster thereafter. In the end, though, it took a piece of magic for Wolves to make it four. 

The first was pitiful. From a throw-in near their own 18-yard line, Watford coughed up possession, allowing Hwang to knock the ball in behind. The South Korean had no right to reach it. But statues have shown more agility than Watford’s back four last night. And so Hwang waltzed past several bodies into the box and squared the ball towards Jimenez. Somehow the striker was allowed to take a touch near the six-yard line and roll a shot home.

Worse followed close for Watford. They were, in fairness, a tad unfortunate when Jonny’s cross found Rayan Ait-Nouri and his square-ball was deflected past Foster by Cucho Hernandez. A few moments later, no such mitigation. Only Calamity bordering on hilarity.

Foster, formerly of West Brom, was already a target for taunts by the time he took a heavy touch from a backpass. As Jimenez bore down on the Watford goalkeeper, Foster made a hurried, left-foot clearance. He ended up on the floor. 

The ball landed at the feet of Podence, who curled a shot into the empty net from 25 yards. No wonder a few Watford supporters headed straight for the concourses.

What must have frustrated them most? Outside that eight-minute suicide mission, Watford had enjoyed enough moments of encouragement. The visitors thought they had an early penalty after Ait-Nouri felled Cucho, only for Emmanuel Dennis to be flagged offside. Then, even at 3-0, Joshua King raced through on goal. But his shot flew over Jose Sa’s bar.

Daniel Podence couldn’t believe his luck as Ben Foster’s clearance went straight to his feet 

The forward made no mistake to slot away the third, leaving the goalkeeper red-faced

Podence is embraced by his team-mates as Bruno Lage’s men went in 3-0 up at the break 

Neves produced the best goal of the night as he lobbed Foster off his line from just yards out

Alas, Watford fingers never strayed too far from the button marked self-destruct. Or feet, in Fosters’ case.

A few minutes into the second half, he fluffed another clearance and Podence lifted another effort towards a gaping goal.

This time, however, the goalkeeper recovered to keep it out.