Manchester United star Ashley Young bites that hand that fed him as his two goals down Watford

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Mark Isaacs29 November 2017

Marco Silva has faced a number of challenges since being appointed Watford manager but his biggest test still remains trying to solve his side’s defensive problems.

Despite the exciting attacking play that Silva has brought into the side, there are issues at the back which were highlighted again in last night’s defeat.

It could have been five or six goals for Jose Mourinho’s side as Ashley Young stole the show against his former club with a brace.

If Watford have any aspirations of breaking into the top six, they need to sort out their defensive problems quickly. They have now conceded 25 goals from 14 Premier League games — which included a 6-0 thumping at home against Manchester City — and only West Ham, Everton and Stoke have let in more.

The one thing Watford cannot be accused of, however, is lacking fighting spirit. Despite falling three goals behind last night, they still managed to make a game of it against Mourinho’s side as they clawed their way back to 3-2.

It could have been a dramatic comeback if referee Jon Moss had sent off Marcos Rojo after his late challenge handed Watford a penalty after 77 minutes, which Troy Deeney converted to make it 3-1. Silva was adamant the Argentine defender should have been shown a red card, following his booking in the first half.

Abdoulaye Doucoure (right) added a second goal for Watford in the 84th minute but a superb solo effort from Jesse Lingard just two minutes later put the result beyond doubt.

Sebastian Prodl and Adrian Mariappa found it difficult to contain the threat of strike pairing Romelu Lukaku and Anthony Martial and they will face a similar kind of test when they come up against Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

Despite the defensive issues, the one encouraging aspect for Silva at the back has been the emergence of Marvin Zeegelaar. Last night the Dutchman made only his third Premier League start but showed he is ready to make a big impact.

Zeegelaar had no excuses for his side’s poor defensive display and insists they will have a point to prove when they face Spurs.

He said: “It was a good comeback in the second half but we had to start way earlier.

“The first half was not good and we didn’t play our normal game. I just wish the second half could have been the first half!

“Nobody recognised what we did in the first half. Nobody was happy and I understand that.

“The game was lost in the second half and we have not taken anything. We are going to give 100 per cent against Tottenham and we need to show what we have produced in the second half.

“We have created a winning mentality and we want to show that against the big clubs.

“It shows how far we have come but we didn’t manage to get anything from the United game and we need to show it over the next few games.

“We have beaten the other big teams so why can’t we get something against Tottenham? We want to go as high as possible and the sky is the limit.”

Watford midfielder Will Hughes injured his hamstring last night and is set to miss Saturday’s clash.