Perfect Watford stun Spurs; Man Utd back on track

Watford’s stunning start to the season hit a new high as they made it four successive Premier League wins with a shock 2-1 success against Tottenham yesterday. While two goals from Romelu Lukaku brought Jose Mourinho a much-needed 2-0 win at Burnley. Having fallen behind to Abdoulaye Doucoure’s 54th minute own goal, Watford responded impressively, recovering to claim the points through headers from Troy Deeney and Craig Cathcart. It remains to be seen how long Javi Gracia’s third-placed side can remain among the upper echelon, but this win confirmed they are currently there on merit.They have won their first four league games for the first time since 1988 and remarkably sit level on points with leaders Liverpool and second-placed Chelsea heading into the international break. Having beaten Brighton, Burnley and Crystal Palace in their opening three games, this was Watford’s first test against a top six side.Tottenham arrived with an unbeaten record of their own to protect, having won 3-0 at Manchester United in their previous league game. But Watford rose to the challenge to secure a first league win against Tottenham since 1987 — underlining their status as the league’s surprise package.For Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, this was a concerning defeat. The result means his side have lost early ground to their main rivals and the way his side was overpowered during the final half hour was alarming. Had Harry Kane not sent a late headed chance over the bar, Pochettino would have considered a draw to be reasonable reward against obstinate opponents. Defeat, though, highlighted Tottenham’s lack of cutting edge, with Lucas Moura the only player to consistently threaten, while the manner in which they conceded was cause for concern.For Mourinho, it was another eventful and controversial afternoon for desipte United’s ending up on winning side. England international Marcus Rashford, only on the field for 10 minutes as a substitute, was sent off after 70 minutes for a headbutt on Phil Bardsley who had clipped the United man’s ankles in cynical fashion.Just two minutes earlier, Mourinho had also seen Paul Pogba miss a penalty with the chance to put the visitors out of sight. But Lukaku’s first-half double was enough for a well-earned three points as United bounced back from consecutive defeats to Brighton and Tottenham that had put Mourinho under the spotlight.Lukaku opened the scoring on 26 minutes, after a period of bright and direct football from Mourinho’s team. Alexis Sanchez was recalled to Mourinho’s starting line-up and responded by setting up the opener as Lukaku rose impressively between two defenders to head the Chilean’s cross past Joe Hart. A second goal before the break looked inevitable, although it took until the final minute for it to arrive as Luke Shaw chased onto Sanchez’s back heel and into the Burnley area.The ball eventually landed with Jesse Lingard on the edge of the area and, after his shot took deflections off both Charlie Taylor and Ashley Westwood, Lukaku was well positioned to turn and sweep in from six yards.It was a rewarding first period for Mourinho and his team, not to mention the 2,400 visiting supporters at Turf Moor who showed their backing for Mourinho. In contrast, there was a demonstration by fans against the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward with a plane flown over the Lancashire ground towing a banner that read: “Ed Woodward, a specialist in failure.”It was a poignant comment from supporters who clearly blame Woodward’s lack of action in the transfer market for the club’s poor start to the season — rather than their high-profile manager. That lacklustre opening to the campaign saw United in danger of losing three of their first four league games for the first time since 1986.Mourinho, though, had looked relaxed even before kick-off, joking with officials in the tunnel and shaking hands with players from both teams as they exited the dressing rooms. And within minutes of kick-off, that confidence looked well placed as United dominated.English Premier League resultsBurnley 0 Manchester United 2 (Lukaku 27, 44); Cardiff 2 (Camarasa 45, Ward 70) Arsenal 3 (Mustafi 12, Aubameyang 62, Lacazette 81); Watford 2 (Deeney 69, Cathcart 76) Tottenham 1 (Doucoure 53-og)