Watford beat Swansea City with club record 19th home victory

The game had started promisingly but it increasingly appeared to be drifting towards a tame end of season exchange until the hosts took control after the break.

Andre Gray made the breakthrough with a close-range finish from a Ken Sema cross before Isaac Success applied the gloss late on with a superb second goal.

It ensured the Hornets completed their most successful ever campaign in their own back yard in the Football League and Premier League by taking 59 points from a possible 69, achieving it with a seventh consecutive clean sheet at Vicarage Road to equal the Championship record of just 30 goals conceded in a season.

Xisco Munoz shuffled his pack for the final game of the season, making six changes from the side that lost 2-0 at Brentford last weekend.

Tom Cleverley and Joseph Hungbo had already been ruled out through injury, but Daniel Bachmann, Francisco Sierralta, Adam Masina and Will Hughes dropped to a bench that also featured a fit-again Troy Deeney.

Ben Foster made his first start since the 2-1 defeat at Swansea at the start of the year, while the likes of Marc Navarro, Achraf Lazaar, Carlos Sanchez and Success were given an opportunity to shine as the Hornets continue to prepare for their Premier League return. The sixth change saw Philip Zinckernagel return to the starting XI.

Steve Cooper also made a number of changes ahead of Swansea’s assault on the play-offs following their 2-1 victory over Derby County last time out.

In came the fit-again pair of Marc Guehi and Andre Ayew, while Jay Fulton and Conor Hourihane were also promoted to the starting line-up. Korey Smith, Morgan Whittaker and Yan Dhanda dropped to the bench, while Ben Cabango was ruled out through injury.

Both sides entered the field of play to a backdrop of fireworks and streamers, with Sir Elton John among those watching on from the directors’ box.

The visitors started the brighter but it was their opponents who missed a great chance to go ahead in the fourth minute when Ken Sema’s cross from the left found Zinckernagel unmarked at the near post in the six-yard box, but the ball was just behind the Dane and he was unable to wrap his foot around it enough to guide the finish inside the near post.

The visitors had their first opportunity soon after when Ayew was found in the box and he turned before hitting a left-footed effort which Foster blocked with his body at the near post.

The next chance came the Hornets’ way courtesy of a mistake from Guehi, allowing Success to latch onto the loose ball before finding Sema on the left side of the area. His shot was blocked but the Swede kept the ball alive and tried to pick out Dan Gosling, but he missed his kick.

Despite the mass changes, the Hornets had started confidently and were moving the ball around at a good tempo and with promise in the opposition half.

In the 19th minute though, they needed Foster to go to ground sharply to his left to keep out a shot from Matt Grimes after Jamal Lowe had initially threatened with a rampaging run down the left and back across the penalty area.

That was the catalyst for Swansea to have the better of proceedings for a spell, but their opponents were largely content to try and keep them at arm’s length.

However, the visitors were almost in on goal in the 33rd minute when Ayew was played into space on the left side of the area, but he chose to try and square inside and the Hornets were able to clear.

The game had gone a little flat as it entered the latter stages of the first half, although Zinckernagel did drag a shot wide from inside the D.

But the opening period increasingly petered out and there was no surprise that it was still goalless at the break.

That could have changed five minutes after the restart when a mistake by Sanchez allowed the visitors to break and the ball was worked back to Liam Cullen, who had a clear shooting opportunity from the edge of the area but curled high and wide.

The Hornets then had an opportunity on the counter following a Swansea corner, only for Success to over-cook the pass as he sought to put Gray through on goal.

The same thing happened again moments later, this time Lazaar the guilty party with the ball at his feet after he had led the charge downfield.

With their next attack though, the Hornets did make the breakthrough.

A fine touch and turn by Gray saw the ball worked wide to Sema and he whipped in an excellent left-footed cross for the striker, who had continued his run at pace in the area to finish from close range, albeit in somewhat unconventional fashion.

Munoz opted to make a double change in the 65th minute bringing on Joao Pedro and Hughes for Sanchez and Zinckernagel, while Cooper opted for wholesale alterations with one eye very much on the challenges to come – Oli Cooper, Dhanda, Smith and Wayne Routledge replacing Ayew, Lowe, Grimes and Cullen.

Deeney entered the fray as a 71st-minute replacement for Gray and was immediately into the action, twice looking to get on the end of crosses from out wide.

Cooper completed his changes with Whittaker replacing Hourihane and within moments of coming on he struck a right-footed shot that was deflected across the face of goal and narrowly wide.

The substitutions were completed after 82 minutes when Masina and Ben Wilmot came on for Sema and Gosling.

Lazaar, who had enjoyed a productive afternoon, almost capped it with a goal soon after when he struck a powerful left-footed half-volley from a Pedro knock down which Freddie Woodman was forced to tip over.

With two minutes left though, the Swansea keeper was helpless to keep out a superb right-footed half-volley from Success, who latched on to a fine ball over the top, waited for the bounce and then struck an unstoppable finish beyond Woodman.

It was a fitting way to sign off the season as the Hornets now step up their preparations ahead of their return to the Premier League in August.

Watford: Foster; Navarro, Kabasele, Cathcart, Lazaar; Zinckernagel (Hughes 65), Sanchez (Pedro 65), Gosling (Wilmot 82); Success, Gray (Deeney 71), Sema (Masina 82). Subs not used: Bachmann, Troost-Ekong, Perica, Sierralta.

Swansea City: Woodman; Roberts, Bennett, Guehi, Bidwell; Fulton, Grimes (Smith 65), Hourihane (Whittaker 77); Ayew (Cooper 65), Cullen (Routledge 65), Lowe (Dhanda 65). Subs not used: Hamer, Manning, Latibeaudiere, Naugton.

Bookings: None.

Referee: Geoff Eltringham.