Watford’s victory over Sunderland was made more likely when they did not surrender early and instead seized the lead themselves.

It seems apparent that combining the two should increase their chances of getting three points, but after conceding an early goal in each of their past four Championship games, it couldn’t be taken for granted.

“I just think we valued our defensive actions,” Tom Cleverley explained afterwards.

“We take great satisfaction in not losing one-on-one matches, winning duels, being in the proper place, and remaining defensively focused.

“Naturally, if you perform all of those things professionally, you will integrate into the game.

“I don’t think we’ve been doing that recently.”

Watford’s manager expressed relief when Sunderland’s score remained 0-0 after 10 minutes on the big displays.

“Yes, I was. “You try not to be negative and just protect yourselves for the first 10 minutes, but it was a milestone,” he said.

“We had a modest win, but the sadness came when we conceded three minutes into the second half.

“So it’s still a little issue.

Watford 2 Sunderland 1. Minute-by-minute report
Clevs talk about Baah, Bayo, and Jebbison.
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“But I thought defensively in the main we were excellent today and our structure was good, and we limited a top team to very little.”

The Watford manager saw it as a game comparable to their recent draw with Coventry at Vicarage Road, but with the roles reversed.

“Again, it was a bit of a tale of two halves,” he added.

“I thought we were excellent in the first half and then had to withstand a little pressure in the second half without giving up too many big chances.”

“We also exhibited true character at the end.

“In football, momentum is tough to swing, so if you go 1-0 up and dominate, but then concede and they gain momentum, it’s really difficult to turn it back in your favor.

“I believe Baah deserves a lot of credit for achieving that, as do the supporters for getting us across the finish line.

“It was a performance full of character and we’re 10 unbeaten here now, and it’s become a place where even when we don’t play well we’re getting the job done.”

Considered opinions: Watford 2 Sunderland 1 Women advance in League Cup with a single goal

With a goal up, the Hornets might have easily had a bigger advantage at halftime.

“You peel everything back, and we had great chances to go 2-0 up with Bayo’s header and Moussa bursting through and squaring it.

“You always want to kick on and be as bold as we were against Stoke, but Sunderland are a strong team.

“They’re one of the greatest pass-and-move teams I’ve seen, with good rotations and young guys who can handle the ball.

“I think we limited them to far less clear-cut chances today.”

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