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Newcastle 1-0 Watford: Perez earns Magpies first win of season

  /  autty

Newcastle claimed their first win of the season as Ayoze Perez's second-half goal handed them victory against a profligate Watford side at St James' Park.

Perez headed Ki Sung-yueng's in-swinging free-kick past Ben Foster after the South Korea international had been felled on the edge of the Watford penalty area.

The visitors - aiming to register their fifth straight Premier League win over the Magpies - went closest to scoring in the first half, with Adrian Mariappa and Gerard Deulofeu both guilty of spurning excellent opportunities to put the Hornets ahead.

Mariappa scuffed a shot wide moments after seeing a close-range header hacked off the line, before Deulofeu dragged a tame effort off target following a delightful through-ball from Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Roberto Pereyra rattled the crossbar in the opening minutes of the second half, but Newcastle - who lost Yoshinori Muto, Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey to injury before the hour mark - rallied to earn their first home points of the season.

The victory lifts Rafa Benitez's side out of the relegation zone above Cardiff and Fulham.

More to follow.