3️⃣ points as Watford down woeful Cherries to escape relegation zone | OneFootball

Watford comfortably beat Bournemouth on Sunday to get out of the relegation zone for the first time since August.

Goals from Abdoulaye Doucouré, Troy Deeney and Roberto Pereyra sealed the win for the guests.

Here are our three points on the game.

The Pearson effect

We are not ostriches, and we are here to praise Nigel Pearson. This has got to be one of the most sensational turnarounds in Premier League history.

When he arrived at Vicarage Rode, the Hornets were bottom of the Premier League with one win from 15 games.

In the seven games since his arrival they’ve picked up 14 points – only Liverpool have more – winning four and losing just once.

The defence is solid, the attack is reborn, and they’re out of the relegation zone.

Aké and Wilson embody Bournemouth struggles

Nathan Aké has been rushed back from injury for struggling Bournemouth and it showed.

The Dutchman, usually a solid defender and confident on the ball, looked flat-footed and out of shape. He was regularly caught out of position and left chasing the brilliant Ismaïla Sarr.

At the other end of the pitch, Callum Wilson played a 14th Premier League game in a row without scoring. There’s simply too much on his shoulders given his own injury record.

With him struggling for form, his sharpness in the box has disappeared and Bournemouth’s chances of survival are quickly following it.

Returned Deeney looks reborn

On his day, Troy Deeney is a devilish striker. Hard-working, and physical, he’s a massive nuisance.

Watford’s dismal run to start the season coincided with the absence of their talismanic captain, who sat out 10 games after undergoing knee surgery.

But he’s back and he’s at his best under Pearson.

The 31-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down and netted again to make it four goals in his last five Premier League games.