A late yellow card for Prodl after his challenge on Mitrovic. The end is imminent now.
90'
Newcastle's misery is set to be extended by a further three minutes.
88'
A few minutes to go until the finale and it's another afternoon for Newcastle fans to forget. Watford supporters will enjoy their long trip home though.
86'
CHANCE! Big opportunity for Newcastle to grab a consolation. A superb cross from Merino is taken down by Mitrovic and a goal looks certain. However, it's a superb block from Kabasele to put the ball behind for a corner- which comes to nothing.
84'
A. Carrillo enters the game and replaces W. Hughes.
Watford's final change and it's another influential player today who gets a rest. Hughes is replaced by Carrillo.
82'
CHANCE! Gray again finds himself in acres of room but again fails to take the chance, hitting a tame shot straight at Elliot. If he had his shooting boots with him today, he may have had a hat-trick.
79'
R. Pereyra enters the game and replaces Richarlison.
Hughes has been everywhere for Watford today and has enjoyed a superb performance. He's flying into tackles, scoring goals and just being a general nuisance for Newcastle.
Signing of the summer? Richarlison, after taking his impressive run of form to four goals and three assists in eight games, gets a rest for the finale. Pereyra is his replacement.
77'
Ayoze Pérez enters the game and replaces J. Murphy.
Final change for Newcastle, who replaced Murphy with Ayoze Perez.
76'
It will certainly feel like a long afternoon for Newcastle fans. A mass exodus could soon follow.
74'
SAVE! Mitrovic gets his first sight of goal since his introduction but he fails to connect with his shot properly, so it's a comfortable save for Gomes.
Minute
Description
73'
Watford doing well to run down the clock as well as looking threatening in attack. Newcastle haven't been in this tie for a while now and an inquest may follow.
71'
A difficult week for Newcastle looks set to continue. Set for four defeats in a row and yet to complete a takeover, with time running out if they're to receive a cash boost ahead of the January window.
69'
Mikel Merino enters the game and replaces M. Diamé.
A. Mitrović enters the game and replaces Joselu.
There's the change fans wanted to see, as Mitrovic replaces Joselu. Surely a case of too little too late though.
Mikel Merino also makes his return from injury, replacing Diame. Newcastle have certainly missed the presence of the 21-year-old in their midfield during the past three matches.
68'
Newcastle on the verge of some changes but you have to question why they haven't come earlier.
66'
Nobody would blame Watford for sitting back to protect their lead but they can taste blood. Newcastle's defence hasn't managed to keep Richarlison quiet all game and there's a chance of more goals for the visitors.
64'
Seven goals conceded in less than two games for Newcastle. Perhaps their attack isn't the only issue that needs fixing in the January transfer window.
62'
A. Gray has scored a goal for Watford! Assist by Richarlison.
A long ball over the top and Newcastle's defence was breached. Richarlison deserves a lot of credit for keeping the ball in play and whipping a superb delivery to Gray but questions need to be asked of the Magpies' back-line.
GOAL! Game over. Richarlison deserves all the credit after a surging run down the left and his cross into the centre puts the ball on a plate for Gray. Again, it's far too easy for Watford.
61'
Still no signs of a Newcastle change and Mitrovic is back on the bench wearing his coat, so it doesn't look like he'll be introduced anytime soon.
59'
Newcastle win a corner after pushing down the right, where Yedlin's attempted cross was diverted behind. Ritchie's delivery is easily dealt with though and Watford try to break.
57'
Ritchie brings an end to another Newcastle attack with a clumsy challenge on Prodl. The game is crying out for an attacking change from the hosts.
55'
Newcastle's biggest concern will be the fact that they could, and probably should, be further behind here. Two glorious opportunities wasted by Watford, who were also guilty of wasting a few openings in the first period.
53'
Another huge opportunity wasted by Watford. Richarlison is once again proving to be too hot to handle but he's far too selfish there. Rather than playing across goal to Gray, the Brazilian starlet tries to go for goal himself but holds onto possession for far too long.
52'
S. Prödl enters the game and replaces M. Britos.
First change of the game is a Watford one. Britos, who didn't look too comfortable after a foul from Shelvey in the first period, is replaced by Sebastian Prodl.
50'
Watford will be desperate to keep a second clean-sheet in a row but their defence needs to improve upon the first-half performance. So far, so good though in the opening five minutes of the second period.
48'
CHANCE! Andre Gray hang your head in shame! The summer signing beat the Newcastle line and looked destined to score. As he charged into the box from the left hand side it looked extremely dangerous but the ex-Burnley man failed to hit the target. That could be a huge moment if Newcastle pull one back.
47'
Mitrovic is already warming up on the sidelines and it surely won't be too long until Benitez shuffles his deck.
45' +1
D. Yedlin is unfortunate, scores an own goal!
GOAL! A nightmare end to the first-half for Newcastle! Just seconds before the break, Zeegelaar aims a low delivery into the box and Yedlin sticks a foot out. That touch diverts the ball past Elliot and the chances of a second-half turnaround have just been handed a huge blow.
45'
Ticking towards the break and it's fair to say that there's room for improvement for both sides in the second-half.
KICK-OFF! Back underway for the second-half, with Newcastle now kicking to the right. It's a big 45 minutes ahead for Benitez's men as they sit just four points above the relegation zone as it stands. If results over the course of the weekend go against them, they could slip as far down as fourth-bottom.
43'
Been a very quiet ten minutes for Watford, who look like they could do with the half-time whistle and a chance to regroup.
41'
If Joselu is the answer, then I'm really not sure what the question is. The Spaniard has had opportunities today, though not clear-cut ones, and he doesn't seem like the sort of player who would strike fear into the opposition defence.
39'
Marco Silva probably won't be impressed with his defence today. They're simply being beaten far too easily by long balls and simple passes. Against a better side, this could be their downfall.
37'
Newcastle's biggest issue is that although they're looking the better side and have Watford on the back foot, their attacking line appears to lack the final punch to breach Gomes' goal. It's baffling that Mitrovic continues to be overlooked.
35'
SAVE! Big chance for Newcastle to pull level, big save from Gomes! Joselu is fed through and has time to try to tuck home into the far corner but Watford's stopper gets a crucial fingertip to the effort. The hosts are banging on the door.
33'
Neither defence is holding themselves in the best of lights here. Murphy beats the Watford line to a lofted ball forward and clatters into Gomes. Both players are fine and we continue.
31'
OFFSIDE! Huge chance for Watford and Newcastle's defence is all over the place. Lejeune misses in a lunge for the ball, allowing Cleverley the opportunity to take a touch inside the area. Gray latches onto that and forces a strong save from Elliot, though the official had his offside flag raised.
30'
Rafael Benitez's side do look to be the better team here but they're still struggling to click in the attacking third, something which has been their problem all season.
28'
Newcastle are banging on the door though. A foul from Hughes gives the hosts the opportunity to whip a ball into the box and whilst the delivery isn't great, Watford look shaky in their attempts to clear. No opportunity came from that but the Hornets' defence certainly looks breachable.
26'
Newcastle have a fight ahead of them if they're to work their way back into the match but the task does look daunting, as the Magpies have scored just twice in their last four Premier League matches.
24'
M. Zeegelaar gets yellow.
Second booking of the game and this time it's a Watford man having his name taken. Zeegelaar with a tactical foul on Ritchie to prevent Newcastle from breaking.
23'
SAVE! A thrilling end-to-end game here as Joselu creates room for a shot, only to see his effort blocked by Kabasele. Gomes looked to have had it covered behind him though.
21'
CHANCE! Watford have a golden opportunity to double their advantage wasted. Zeegelaar again delivers a dangerous ball into the area where Doucoure has worked his way into space. The midfielder couldn't get his feet set though and fired a tame effort wide.
19'
W. Hughes has scored a goal for Watford! Assist by M. Zeegelaar.
GOAL! Watford take the lead! A searching ball out to the far side finds Zeegelaar with far too much room and he cuts the ball back towards the centre of the box, where Hughes tucks home with a tidy finish.
Zeegelaar was simply given far too much room to work with there. Yedlin had his arms up to appeal for offside but he poorly lost his man. A gift for the hosts.
17'
A fairly even affair so far but neither side is yet to create a clear-cut opening. Have a feeling this match could be decided by a solitary goal.
15'
J. Shelvey gets yellow.
Who had 15 minutes on the Shelvey yellow card sweepstakes? A strong and unnecessary challenge from the midfielder on Britos is dangerous, so he definitely deserved to have his name taken.
14'
SAVE! Watford immediately hit on the counter and force a save from Elliot. Richarlison, arguably the signing of the summer, charges at the Newcastle back line and his low shot requires a diving save from the Republic of Ireland international to keep the scores level.
13'
CHANCE! What a glorious goal that would have been! Yedlin delivers a perfect ball to the feet of Gayle inside the box and his touch is magnificent to turn the defender. However, he can't quite get his shot away as Hughes steps in with a superb tackle.
11'
CHANCE! The closest we've come to a goal so far and some fans in the stand may have thought that was in! Ritchie cut inside onto his left foot and struck a low effort towards the near post, where Gomes was scrambling across his line and saw the ball hit the side netting.
10'
Another Watford corner from the far side is delivered into a dangerous area by Cleverley. Newcastle get the initial ball away but the second ball in sees Gray in some room, though he's unable to create a chance with his acrobatic attempt.
8'
Foul from Hughes for a flailing arm into the face of Lejeune but the concern is for Femenia. He was in pain on the floor after a 50-50 challenge but fortunately the Watford man is able to continue.
7'
Watford win a corner after Richarlison's direct play but Yedlin does enough to quell his threat. A floating delivery to the far post looks dangerous but Newcastle manage to clear their lines.
5'
Newcastle enjoying the better spells on the ball in this early period and they've already asked questions of the Watford defence. Their attack has been inconsistent all season though, so they need to make it count when they break into the final third.
3'
CHANCE! Newcastle look good with a promising attack down the left, where Clark cuts the ball across the face of goal to Joselu. The Spanish striker, tied at the top of the club's scoring charts with just two goals, can't strike the ball properly and the resulting corner comes to nothing.
2'
Both sides certainly up for it in the start of this game, with Murphy getting forward for the hosts. The Newcastle man appeals for a free-kick that's not given but he's looking bright.
1'
KICK-OFF! We're underway at St. James' Park. Watford get us started, kicking from left to right.
Having lost just three of their opening nine Premier League matches, Newcastle United have since lost three in a row, scoring just once in that run, and have plummeted down the standings as a result. With an extremely difficult run of fixtures coming up, Rafael Benitez will be desperate for his side to get something from today's match.
Good afternoon and welcome to our LIVE coverage of the Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Watford at St. James' Park, featuring two sides who have faced varied form over the past few weeks.
Watford, meanwhile, ended a winless run of their own last weekend with victory against a struggling West Ham United side at Vicarage Road. The Hornets are still sitting pretty in the top-half of the table and, crucially, have managed to keep manager Marco Silva away from the clutches of Everton.
Newcastle XI: Rob Elliot; DeAndre Yedlin, Florian Lejeune, Ciaran Clark, Javier Manquillo; Jacob Murphy, Jonjo Shelvey, Mohamed Diame, Matt Ritchie; Joselu, Dwight Gayle.
Watford XI: Heurelho Gomes; Adrian Mariappa, Christian Kabasele, Miguel Britos; Kiko Femenia, Tom Cleverley, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Will Hughes, Marvin Zeegelaar; Richarlison; Andre Gray.
Newcastle subs: Karl Darlow, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Chancel Mbemba, Rolando Aarons, Ayoze Perez, Mikel Merino, Jesus Gamez.
Watford subs: Orestis Karnezis, Daryl Janmaat, Ben Watson, Andre Carrillo, Sebastian Prodl, Roberto Pereyra, Etienne Capoue.
Newcastle make just one change to the side that lost 4-1 to Manchester United last week, with Mohamed Diame coming into the side in place of Isaac Hayden. Mikel Merino, who has missed the last three matches with a back injury, makes the bench whilst Joselu and Dwight Gayle remain in attack.
Watford are unchanged following their 2-0 victory over West Ham last week, with Richarlison playing behind former Luton Town striker Andre Gray. Mariappa, Kabasele and Britos continue in a three-man defence, protecting Gomes between the sticks.
Newcastle have only lost one of their last 12 league matches at home to Watford, though that defeat came in the last clash in 2017. That season, the Hornets also beat Newcastle at Vicarage Road and also knocked the Magpies out of the FA Cup.
HALF-TIME. Rafael Benitez will have to tear up his notes as his side concede a second in the dying moments of the first period. Watford have been far from great but a two-goal cushion looks good for them and very, very bleak for Newcastle United.
For the majority of the first-half, Newcastle were the better side but, once again, their presence in the final third has been significantly lacking. Whilst Joselu and Gayle have largely been feeding on scraps, the front two aren't really showing any signs of dragging the Magpies out of the mud. As such, Rafael Benitez's side look set for a fourth consecutive defeat.
Watford only picked up 12 points away from home in 19 Premier League matches last season. If they hold onto this lead, they'll have secured 13 so far this term and beaten that tally already.
Marco Silva won't be pleased with his side's defensive performance in the first 45 minutes, as they've looked a mess at times, but the significant stat is their two-goal lead. Will Hughes has now scored two in two and Yedlin's own goal in the dying seconds puts the icing on the cake for the Hornets, who as it stands are for back-to-back victories.
FULL-TIME! Back-to-back victories for Watford after goals from Will Hughes and Andre Gray, accompanied by an own goal from DeAndre Yedlin. It hands Newcastle their fourth defeat on the bounce and the Magpies will now be looking over their shoulder, as they risk being sucked into the relegation battle.
Four consecutive defeats raise the pressure on Rafael Benitez’s side and they could tumble down the standings after tomorrow’s matches. The midweek clash away at West Brom now has increased significance and they continue to look woeful in the attacking third.
Consecutive victories for Marco Silva's side help the Hornets to consolidate their position in the top-half of the Premier League standings, ahead of a tough test in midweek at home against title chasers Manchester United. Richarlison continues to sparkle and Will Hughes has also emerged as a big player for the Hornets.
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