The Championship clash between Watford and Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road on Friday Oct 23, 2009.
The Championship table can be perversely misleading. Watford, marooned in mid-table, dismantled Sheffield Wednesday with the panache of title contenders.
There was liveliness and flair to Watford's play, characterised by snappy interchanges, sublime passing and fluid movement. Two goals from teenager, Henri Lansbury, and strikes from Jon Harley and Adrian Mariappa, saw them sweep to a second league victory in seven matches.
That record is bewildering. To behold Watford at times was a delight although they were ungainly in opening the scoring. John Eustace, an early substitute for Ross Jenkins, scuffed the ball into the area and Adrian Mariappa turned it home.
Finesse, however, was not caged for long. Minutes later Lansbury, a pupil of Arsene Wenger's expressionist football, played a one-two with Tom Cleverley, tip-toed past a static Wednesday defence and netted.
Watford will not want to hand Lansbury back to Arsenal when his loan expires. They should try to persuade Manchester United to extend Cleverley's stay too. The pair wreaked havoc.
Beneath Watford's exuberance, though, lies defensive frailty, epitomised when Marcus Tudgay headed in Tommy Spurr's long throw. Yet class told again in the second period. Lansbury nonchalantly found Jon Harley, whose shot found the top corner.
Then Cleverley left two! Wednesday defenders for dead before finding Lansbury to co! nvert. W ednesday's insipidness was overshadowed by Watford's excellence.
Match details
Watford (4-4-1-1): Loach; Hodson, Mariappa (capt), Cathcart, Doyley; Cleverley, Jenkins (Eustace 19), Lansbury, Harley (Severin 83); Cowie (Ellington 77); Graham. Subs: Bennett, Henderson, Bryan, Bond (g).
Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Grant; Buxton, Purse (capt), Beevers, Spurr; Gray (Esajas 49), O'Connor (Miller 46), Potter, Johnson (Sodje 63); Varney, Tudgay. Subs: Hinds, McAllister, Jeffers, O'Donnell (g).
