THIS comeback win could prove a defining moment for Sergio Aguero and Manchester City's league title hunt.
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| Sergio Aguero (8) is Manchester City's top league scorer this term - Raheem Sterling's (5) second |
Not only did City end their away-day misery after seven winless games, but more significant was the sight of Aguero hitting the goal trail once again.
Premier League defenders need no reminding how deadly Aguero is when he is at his blistering best. No striker in England can match him and City's rivals will be fearing that another purple patch is now on the cards.
An injury-ravaged season means the Argentine striker is by no means at his best but he is already in double figures after breaking a drought stretching back to November 21.
City boss Manuel Pellegrini said: "Kun is very important to our team. He has improved also a lot in his whole performance if you compare it with his last game.
"We know he needs three or four games to return to his top performance and for him the goal was important and hopefully he can go on."
As well as the title, City are also battling for honours on three other fronts. But the fact they lie just three points off leaders Arsenal given their woeful form on the road makes ominous reading for the rest.
Pellegrini said: "We were not worried. It's not normal not to win for six games but we were playing well.
"Against Arsenal and against Leicester we played a good game. So it was important to keep the trust in the players and we did well here.
"The most important thing of the team was the character we showed. We were convincing with the way we played."
It could have been so different for City. Watford were heading for victory when Ben Watson's 55th-minute corner was flicked into his own net by Aleksandar Kolarov.
But Etienne Capoue's miss proved pivotal as Yaya Toure went up the other end to volley home Kolarov's 82nd-minute corner. And two minutes later Aguero's textbook header from Bacary Sagna's cross stole the points.
City defender Sagna praised stand-in-captain Toure for leading from the front and driving City on for the smash-and-grab win.
"Yaya has been very important to us as a team and we all trust him," he said. "He is also one of the leaders in the team.
"He is our captain while Vincent Kompany is away and he scored a great goal - and he scored against Sunderland and Arsenal.
"Of course he will get criticism because two seasons ago he scored 20 to 25 goals and people are expecting him to do the same. He is very important in our system.
"He can't be on top and score in every single game. But he did it at Watford and has been doing that in the last few games.
"He is not the only one. Last season when we were not performing he was the main target, and it isn't fair because before that he had a great season and gave a lot to the team. We win as a team and lose as a team."
Watford midfielder Watson was left frustrated by City's late show following their second successive 2-1 home defeat in a week.
"We have taken four points from four high-profile games either side of Christmas," he said. "But we believe it should have been more which is a good sign for this club. We have not been blown away in any of them.
"For 80 minutes we felt we dominated the game but that's what can happen against world-class players."
WATFORD (4-4-2): Gomes 6; Nyom 6, Britos 6, Cathcart 6, Holebas 6; Abdi 6, Capoue 6, Watson 8, Jurado 6 (Guedioura 80); Deeney 6, Ighalo 7. Booked: Nyom. Goal: Kolarov 55 og. NEXT UP: Newcastle (h) FAC, Sat.
MAN CITY (4-2-3-1): Hart 7; Sagna 7, Otamendi 7, Mangala 5 (Bony 75, 6) Kolarov 6; Fernandinho 8, Toure 7; De Bruyne 7, Silva 5, Sterling 5 (Navas 60, 6); Aguero 6 (Demichelis 86). Goals: Toure 82, Aguero 84. NEXT UP: Everton (a) COC, Wed.
REFEREE: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).
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