Hendrick breaks Burnley duck as Watford beaten

Burnley (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Record-signing Jeff Hendrick scored his first goal for Burnley as they beat Watford 2-0 in the Premier League at Turf Moor on Monday.

Irish midfielder Hendrick signed from second-tier Derby County last month for a reported 10 million pounds ($13.1 million, 11.8 million euros) on a three-year contract.

And the 24-year-old opened the scoring in the 38th minute when he headed home Steven Defour’s corner and the Belgian set up a second goal when Michael Keane nodded in five minutes after the break.

This was Burnley’s second win of the season after their shock victory over Liverpool.  

Burnley looked the likeliest to break the deadlock, with Watford captain Troy Deeney receiving little service up front. 

His best chance came when his near-post shot was saved by England goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

The game looked as if it would still be deadlocked at 0-0 come half-time, when Dean Marney got on the end of a Johann Berg Gudmundsson shot to force a corner.

Defour’s cross then found Hendrick, who forced a header in over the line as Watford protested the corner had drifted out of play on its way into the box.

Burnley’s second came early in the second half, when a Defour corner came back to him and his cross saw Keane rise above the Watford defence.

Defour tried to get on the scoresheet himself with a 20-yard strike that Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes beat away. 

Watford substitute Isaac Success slid a shot across goal but that was as close as the Hornets came to a revival.