Swansea City 0-1 Watford: Superb late Ken Sema strike wins it for Hornets

Ken Sema’s thumping late strike earned Watford a second successive win as they edged a drab encounter at Swansea City.

Kristian Pedersen had a goal disallowed for Swansea after the break as referee Andrew Kitchen deemed a Swans player had blocked an opponent off the ball.

Then, just as the game seemed destined to end goalless, Sema fired a 20-yard rocket into the top corner.

The substitute’s first goal of the season was a much-needed intervention for Watford and the match in general, which had been largely forgettable until Sema’s shot flew past Rushworth at his near post.

A fourth victory of the season lifts Watford up to 15th in the Championship table, while a second home defeat in four days sees Swansea drop to 18th.

Swansea had endured their worst start to a league season for 32 years before a four-match winning run which ended when they were beaten here by Championship leaders Leicester City on Saturday.

Watford may not have fluctuated quite so wildly, though a win and a draw in their previous two outings offered respite after three successive defeats.

This game was played with a lethargy that suggested the two sides had regressed to their earlier struggles; a contest crying out for a team to take charge, but with neither seizing the initiative.

They probed at each other, but without any real conviction during the opening exchanges, Harry Darling heading wide for Swansea before Watford’s Tom Ince had a shot saved by Rushworth.

Swans captain Matt Grimes then tried his luck with what could have been a contender for goal of the season, but his angled left-footed drive from 45 yards was kept out by Daniel Bachmann.

The Watford goalkeeper was at full stretch to tip another fine Grimes effort, this time from 25 yards, around the post, but, other than the Swansea skipper’s long-range shots, there was precious little excitement in a first half which failed to live up to the pre-match fireworks in south Wales.

The best chance before the break fell to Watford’s Bayo, who was wide open at the back post from Jeremy Ngakia’s cross only to head the ball straight at Rushworth.

Swansea thought they had finally made the breakthrough when Pedersen nodded in from a corner in the 72nd minute, but his goal was disallowed for blocking off the ball by his team-mates.

In fact, it was their opponents who got the elusive winning goal, and it arrived in some style as Sema’s swerving left-footed shot outside the penalty area whistled into the top corner.

Swansea came close to a late equaliser as Darling was twice denied by Bachmann, once from a header and then from a long-range strike.

But Watford held on for a second win in four days to maintain their resurgence in form.