Tom Barkhuizen grabbed his second Championship goal of the season as Preston North End suffered a 4-1 defeat against William Troost-Ekong's Watford on Saturday.
Barkhuizen halved the deficit for the Lilywhites in the 55th minute after Domingos Quina and Troy Deeney gave the hosts a two-goal lead at Vicarage Road.
Later in the second half, Nathaniel Chalobah and Joao Pedro found the back of the net to secure all three points for Watford who drew their last two league matches.
Barkhuizen was in action for the entire duration of the encounter - his 13th appearance in the second division this season.
Nigeria defender Troost-Ekong did not feature in the game as he watched on from the bench, however, Senegal's Ismaila Sarr played a crucial role for Watford.
Sarr played from start to finish and he provided the assist which helped Quina to open the scoring in the ninth minute. Since the start of the season, he has been involved in five goals (three goals and two assists) after 11 Championship appearances.
Saturday's victory shot Watford to third in the second division table with 26 points after 14 matches while Preston North End dropped to 18th with 16 points.
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