Bristol City eased to a 4-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.
Bristol City claim big win
Bristol City eased to a 4-2 win over Watford at Vicarage Road.
Nicky Maynard hit the first league goal of Boxing Day as opened the scoring after just 23 seconds, before he added a second just before the half-hour.
Grzegorz Rasiak - handed his first appearance for Watford since mid November - briefly gave his side hope with a goal after the break, only for Marvin Elliott to thunder in City's third.
Elliott then headed in an own-goal to bring Brendan Rodgers's side back into it but the visitors claimed a fourth in stoppage-time through substitute Dele Adebola to register their first win in eight outings.
They took the lead straight from kick-off when former Crewe striker Maynard was played in by Michael McIndoe down the right and calmly clipped the ball past Scott Loach from the corner of the six-yard box.
And Maynard put the visitors firmly in control when he grabbed City's second in the 29th minute.
Ivan Sproule burst into the right-hand side of penalty area and drove a low shot across Loach.
The young goalkeeper was able to get a firm hand on the shot but could only parry the ball into the path of Maynard, who made no mistake to convert the rebound.
Hornets hope
Sproule then sent another chance wide as Johnson's men pushed for a third. Rodgers responded at the break by bringing on teenagers Ross Jenkins and Lewis Young - younger brother of Aston Villa and England winger Ashley - and saw his side instantly react with a 49th-minute goal.
Young released Jobi McAnuff down the right wing and the former Crystal Palace winger cut the ball back into Rasiak's path on the penalty spot.
The Poland striker steered the ball wide of Adriano Basso and into the bottom corner for his first goal since November.
But the Hornets' joy was short lived as Elliott put the visitors back into a two- goal lead just three minutes later.
The midfielder picked the ball up just inside the Watford half and, after being allowed to advance unchallenged, sent a stinging 25-yard drive right through Loach and into the back of the net.
It was a crisp strike from Elliott but he inadvertently gave the hosts a lifeline with a 65th-minute own goal.
Tommy Smith fashioned a yard of space down the right with a twisting run and arced in a tricky ball which Elliott could only flick past Basso and into the top corner.
City braced themselves for an onslaught of attacks but instead went close to
extending their lead on the break as Sproule and McIndoe both raced clear but produced poor finishes.
And Adebola put the finishing touch to an outstanding away day with a last-minute fourth.
Lee Johnson played a corner short and, after receiving the ball back, sent in a deep cross from the right which Adebola headed past Loach and into the bottom corner.
