Southampton 1-0 Watford: Javi Gracia begins tenure as Hornets boss with defeat as Jack Stephens first goal of the season puts Saints in FA Cup fifth round

Daily Mail | January 27, 2018

In many ways this was what Mauricio Pellegrino had been building up to for a number of weeks.

As frustrating as it has been for Southampton supporters to go two months without a home victory, there had been an identity at least to the way they had been playing.

They showed when they held Tottenham to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League last Sunday that there was reason to persevere with Pellegrino.

Jack Stephens celebrates putting Southampton ahead with a finish from inside the six-yard box less than five minutes in

The English defender capitalised on a loose ball that Javi Gracia's Watford made a mess of and failed to effectively clear

The early strike from Stephens was his first goal of the season for the club as Southampton prepare for the fifth-round draw

Gracia replaced the ousted Marco Silva at Watford but suffered defeat to Mauricio Pellegrino's Southampton in his first game

The early goal settled the nerves of the home fans as the Saints looked to add to their advantage before the half-time interval

His leadership has been questioned in recent weeks, and rightly so at times, but the players have remained in support of him.