Watford relegated from Premier League after loss to Crystal Palace
Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty was enough for Crystal Palace to beat Watford 1-0, confirming the Hornets’ relegation from the Premier League.
Despite plenty of pre-match pleasantries, it was an unhappy return for Roy Hodgson to Selhurst Park – back at the club for the first time since his departure as manager last summer – with his side’s return to the Championship confirmed on Saturday afternoon.
The issue was ultimately decided in the first half when Crystal Palace were awarded a penalty. Michael Olise’s header hit Hassane Kamara on the arm, although the Watford midfielder protested that he was pushed in the build-up.
But VAR did not agree and stuck with referee Graham Scott’s decision to award the penalty, which Zaha fired home into the far corner. It was his 13th goal of the season, making this his best-ever goalscoring campaign in the Premier League.
Watford offered very little by way of a reply – registering just one shot on target – and finished the game with 10 men when Kamara was sent off for a second yellow card in the 69th minute.
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He will now miss Wednesday’s game against Everton, although it is no longer a relegation decider for Watford.
Watford have had three managers this season, with Xisco Munez sacked in October despite having the side in 15th.
Former Premier League title-winning manager Claudio Ranieri subsequently took over, but struggled to ignite their season, with Watford earning only seven points during his three-and-a-half months in charge.
Roy Hodgson’s appointment did bring more defensive solidity, but wins remained hard to come by, with the side beating only Southampton and Aston Villa in 2022.
Hodgson, 74, is planning to retire at the end of the season after calling the spell at Watford his “swansong”.
Watford bounced straight back into the Premier League after being relegated in 2019-20, finishing second in the Championship in 2020-21.
