Derby County 2-3 Watford: Edo Kayembe double ends Rams’ winning run

Watford came from two goals down at Pride Park to register their first away victory of the Championship season and bring Derby’s five-match winning streak to an end.

Edo Kayembe scored twice, one from the penalty spot, after Luca Kjerrumgaard had produced a goal from nothing to get the Hornets back in the game.

The Rams suffered an early blow when the Championship’s joint leading goalscorer Carlton Morris was forced off with a knee injury.

But defenders Dion Sanderson and Sondre Langas both scored their first goals for the club to seemingly put John Eustace’s side in charge.

However, the Hornets, who themselves lost Kwadwo Baah to an apparent hamstring problem, hit back to make it four games unbeaten and leapfrog Derby to go within two points of the play-off places.

Watford were the last remaining Championship side still to win on their travels this season, and that statistic seemed likely to be extended as the home side controlled the game in the opening 45 minutes.

Morris, who had scored six in his previous four games and was responsible for half of Derby’s league goals this season, seemed to fall awkwardly after an innocuous collision with defender Kevin Keben off the ball and could not continue after lengthy treatment.

Sanderson, on loan from Birmingham City, filled that void with an accomplished finish after Bobby Clark’s shot struck a defender and fell neatly onto his half-volley.

Baah, who had come closest for the Hornets in the first half with a deflected shot that forced a sharp save from Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, went down clutching the back of his leg after a tackle.

Andi Weimann almost doubled the Rams’ lead in first-half added time with a header from Joe Ward’s deep cross that struck the post and bounced against Nathan Baxter’s back before going out for a corner rather than into the net, much to the goalkeeper’s relief.

Langas seemed to have settled the result after 54 minutes when he got on the end of a free-kick from Joe Ward, who racked up an assist for the fourth consecutive game, and glanced a header past Baxter.

Udinese loanee Kjerrumgaard changed the complexion of the game as he met Jeremy Ngakia’s near-post cross with a half-volley which flashed past Zetterstrom, and Watford sensed blood.

When substitute Nestory Irankunda skipped past Ward at the by-line, the full-back brought him down and, with seven minutes left, Kayembe confidently tucked away the spot-kick.

The DR Congo midfielder made sure of all three points in the 88th minute, meeting Imran Louza’s curling corner with a header into the far corner.