Kucka returned to Watford’s starting lineup after a long time and contributed to the win. Watch his assist for the winning goal

After 4 games Watford managed to get back on track and thanks to a 2-1 win over Southampton they take an important 3 points in the fight to stay up. Juraj Kucka made a significant contribution to the win, appearing in the starting line-up for the first time in a long time.

The Slovakian midfielder immediately settled into the starting line-up after his transfer to Watford, where he has been a regular since the first round of this season.

However, an injury sidelined him for a period of time in early February and since then he has been out of the line-up twice and only on the bench three times, starting for only 11 minutes against Manchester United.

That changed in Sunday’s game against Southampton when Roy Hodgson gave him an opportunity in the starting line-up again. And “Kuco” did not disappoint, flashing a great performance.

He was very confident defensively, recorded 5 defensive saves (the most of any player), won 6 of 9 ground duels and intercepted 2 passes.

He didn’t lose his way forward either, taking 2 shots on the opponent’s goal. The first chance in particular will take some time to get over, after a great pass he found himself alone in front of Fraser Forster, but couldn’t beat him.

However, he still managed to make his mark on the statsheet, as his centre provided the winning goal for his team. When he received the ball from Dennis, he immediately sent it beautifully into the box straight to Cucho Hernández, who scored his second goal of the game.

The Hornets held on to their lead and were able to enjoy the win. Kucka was nominated for Player of the Match by Watford for his performance, but unsurprisingly the fans voted for the two-goal Cuch.

Juraj Kucka and his teammates will continue their fight to stay in the Premier League when they face a tough challenge on April 2 with a trip to Anfield.

Source: Watford, Fotmob