EPL: Everton in do-or-die match against Watford
Watford won the reverse fixture against Everton 5-2 in October and are looking to pick up consecutive league victories against the Toffees for the very first time.
Everton have lost three of their last four Premier League away games against Watford, though they did win 3-2 on their last visit to Vicarage Road in February 2020.
Watford have lost their last 11 home league matches, the longest run of home defeats in top-flight history. In Football League history, the only side to lose more than 11 in a row at home was Rochdale between November 1931 and August 1932 in the Third Division North, a run of 14 home defeats.
read also:Transfer window: Mane says he’s happy at Liverpool amid transfer talk
Watford have been relegated from the Premier League before the final day of the season for the third time; on the previous two occasions, they lost their first match after relegation was confirmed (1-3 v Leeds in 1999-00 and 0-1 v Sheffield United in 2006-07).
Watford have conceded 41 home Premier League goals this season – only three sides have ever shipped more in a single campaign; Wolves in 2011-12 (43), Derby in 2007-08 (43) and Swindon in 1993-94 (45).
Everton are looking to win three consecutive Premier League games for the first time since March 2021, while they last won consecutive away league games in May the same year. Indeed, the Toffees’ 2-1 victory at Leicester ended a 15-game winless run on the road.
Watford have lost each of their last six Premier League games, with the Hornets last having a longer run of consecutive league defeats between December 1972 and February 1973 (9).
Watford striker Josh King has scored more Premier League goals against Everton than he has v any other side in the competition (8), including a hat-trick at Goodison Park in the reverse fixture in October.
Watford’s Samir and Hassane Kamara have ended on the losing side in all seven of their home Premier League appearances so far. No player in Premier League history has lost their first eight home games, with seven the record previously held by David Goodwillie (2011-12, Blackburn), Danny Ward (2009-19, Bolton & Cardiff) and Neeskens Kebano (2018-20, Fulham).
Everton boss Frank Lampard has won all three of his Premier League meetings with Watford’s Roy Hodgson by an aggregate score of 9-2 – it’s his best 100 per cent win rate as a manager in the top-flight, while only against Jürgen Klopp (8/8) and Mauricio Pochettino (5/5) does Hodgson have a higher 100 per cent loss record.