Watford have beaten Aston Villa 3-2 at Villa Park to deepen the crisis for the Premier League's bottom side.

The hosts, the only top-flight side without a home win all season, looked the more nervous early on and Watford spurned the first chance of the game after only three minutes when former Villa academy player Troy Deeney fired a first-time strike over the bar from Odion Ighalo's lay-off.

Villa fell behind in disastrous circumstances after 17 minutes when, after Brad Guzan had denied Ighalo's initial effort, the defence failed to clear and Ighalo was on hand to turn the ball home for his eighth goal of the season.

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Remi Garde's side were without a league win in 16 weeks since the opening day of the season, but they responded well and should have found an equaliser shortly after falling behind but Ayew somehow sliced wide from close range when completely unmarked.

The game began to take on a frantic pace as first Watford were gifted an opportunity to double their lead through Carlos Sanchez's mistake when Guzan saved from Etienne Capoue, before Idrissa Gana curled just wide from distance.

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Gomes parried Ayew's stinging effort and produced a fine save to tip Scott Sinclair's drive away as a desperate Villa sought for an equaliser before the break, and they found it four minutes before the whistle when Jordan Veretout's free kick from the right found Micah Richards unmarked and the captain thumped a header past Gomes.

The Hornets were dealt a blow after an hour when Gomes had to leave the field in a neck brace after a nasty-looking head injury, but they shocked the home fans minutes later when Hutton got in front of Ighalo to poke the ball into his own net from Capoue's through ball.

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Villa were given some late encouragement by a lively cameo from substitute Adama Traore, but Deeney beat Ciaran Clark to the ball to head home his fourth goal in five games after Ighalo's shot was deflected into the air with six minutes remaining to seemingly seal Watford's first win over the Villans since 1986.

The hosts did pull a late goal back ahead of 10 minutes of injury time when Ayew turned and drilled home from 25 yards, but it was too little too late as Villa lost for the 11th time in 14 games to leave them five points adrift at the bottom of the table.