REPUBLIC OF IRELAND international Festy Ebosele was on target for Watford as Sunderland missed the opportunity to take over at the top of the Sky Bet Championship.
Goals from Ebosele and a Tom Dele-Bashiru penalty were enough for Watford to see off the visitors 2-1, with Wilson Isidor scoring for Sunderland.
Watford were able to keep Sunderland at bay in the opening exchanges, although Isidor was wide in the eighth minute from Dennis Cirkin’s cross.
Anthony Patterson then had to deny Ebosele from close range, before Watford deservedly took the lead a minute before the half hour mark when Ebosele connected first time to a delivery from Yasser Larouci, directing his shot past the stranded Patterson.
Isidor marked his first Sunderland game with his first goal for the club, three minutes after the restart, when he turned in a Patrick Roberts cross at the near post.
The home side got the game’s decisive third breakthrough with just six minutes of the game remaining, when Kwadwo Baah was upended in the area, allowing Dele-Bashiru to step up and convert from the spot.
Elsewhere, managerless Cardiff remain bottom of the Championship and without a league victory after a 4-1 defeat at Hull.
The Bluebirds, who last Sunday sacked Erol Bulut following their worst start to a season in 94 years, opened the scoring through Ireland international Callum Robinson after 18 minutes but fell apart thereafter.
Macauley Langstaff struck his first goal as Millwall recorded their second Championship win of the season in the 3-1 victory over Preston.
The two sides came into this clash level on five points in the table, but there was a gulf between them on the afternoon once George Honeyman opened the scoring with his first goal in two years.
Romain Esse was the Lions’ other goalscorer, with the only negative for the hosts being a late red card for Ireland U21 international Aidomo Emakhu, before Jordan Storey grabbed a late consolation for the Lilywhites.
Jayden Bogle scored his first goal for Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds as they beat early-season strugglers Coventry 3-0 with a dominant display at Elland Road.
The summer signing from Sheffield United found the net four minutes into the second half after Willy Gnonto opened the scoring in the 16th minute.
Substitute Joel Piroe tapped in a late third for Daniel Farke’s men, who could have won by a greater margin but this latest win keeps them riding high in the play-off places.
The only negative for Farke was the loss to injury of captain Ethan Ampadu in the 41st minute.
Liverpool teenager Ben Doak’s first goal for Middlesbrough helped to earn a 2-0 win over Stoke at the Riverside Stadium.
Lewis Travis scored on his 200th career league start as Blackburn defeated 10-man QPR 2-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to the season, while a brilliant hat-trick from Borja Sainz clinched Norwich’s 3-2 win at Derby.
Sheffield United extended their unbeaten start to the season and made it a whole month without conceding after holding winless Portsmouth to a 0-0 draw at Fratton Park, while substitute Anthony Musaba scored an 86th-minute winner to earn Sheffield Wednesday a dramatic 3-2 win at home to high-flying West Brom in the Championship.
Burnley’s bid to make it three Championship wins on the spin was thwarted by a resilient Oxford in a somewhat dour goalless draw at the Kassam Stadium.
