SWANS: Watford win sees Swansea top the Championship

Swansea City climbed to the top of the Championship after a convincing 2-0 victory over Watford at the Swansea.com Stadium maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Winger Eom Ji-sung swept home an early opener for his second in as many games, before Adam Idah fired home from close range as Swansea played with freedom and exuberance.

Victory over the Hornets means Swansea have 10 points from their opening four league games, leapfrogging Charlton Athletic, who play on Wednesday, and Wolverhampton Wanderers to move to the summit of the second tier for the first time in just under seven years.

The Swans started the brighter from the get-go, Marko Stamenic heading Josh Tymon’s corner against the post in the early exchanges with Joseph Opoku almost converting the rebound.

It did not take long before the opener arrived. Swansea’s blend of high tempo and quality on the ball proved too much for Watford, home debutant Stephen Eustáquio feeding Idah on the right before the Republic of Ireland striker squared for Eom to finish first time from point-blank range.

It was a reminder of the Swans of old: a multiple-pass routine, starting with goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux, played seamlessly with one and two touches across their own half, between several players in tight spaces, before a devastating counter-attacking finish.

The roles were reversed for the second, Eom finding space in a midfield pocket on the halfway line before producing a moment of magic, a defence-splitting through ball that put Idah one-on-one with Watford goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia.

The former Celtic striker, once again preferred to last season’s top scorer Zan Vipotnik up front, finished in style, rolling his shot between the legs of the Hornets number one.

Watford were wasteful and had chances to reduce the arrears before the break. Mattie Pollock and Hector Kyprianou were both guilty of missing headed chances, with Vigouroux untroubled in making two routine saves.

Head coach Vitor Matos looked to his bench to maintain the intensity early in the second period, with midfielder Melker Widell and winger Moussa Yeo introduced.

Widell was straight into the action, capitalising on a loose pass from Branimir Mlacic to find Eom, though the forward could not get his shot away, and the Swede then flashed a long-range effort agonisingly wide before forcing Ravaglia into a smart save from distance.

Swansea’s intensity dropped, perhaps inevitably, as the half wore on, and the Hornets applied late pressure in the dying stages.

But the Swans held firm, Vigouroux denying Rocco Vata in the final minute to secure a first home win of the season and a third clean sheet in four league games.

Wrexham visit the Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday evening.

Swansea City XI

Vigouroux (c); Key, Lissah, Welsh (Seelt 87), Tymon; Stamenic (Fulton 68), Eustáquio, Just (Widell 57); Opoku (Yeo 57), Eom, Idah (Vipotnik 68).

Watford XI

Ravaglia; Keben, Kyprianou, Pollock (c), Mamma (Vata 64); Bravo (Kjerrumgaard 83), Doumbia, Nabizada, Traore (Mlacic 30); Zemura, Kayembe.