Ashley Williams first goal at the Liberty Stadium for almost four years was the difference between the two sides at the Liberty this evening as a captain's performance right from the top drawer lifted the Swans out of the Premier League relegation zone.
It was definitely a case of cometh the hour, cometh the man this evening as Williams led from the front to give us a much needed win although in true Swansea City fashion we didn't make it easy for ourselves with some genuine almost heart stopping moments towards the end of the game.
After a first half where we dominated possession the second half showed that we had to dig in and defend well although we had chances to win the game and the last few minutes could have been far more comfortable had Bafetimbi Gomis' powerful shot not come back off the post.
After watching Newcastle and Bournemouth win on the weekend a victory tonight was essential for the Swans and whilst it may not have been the most fluid of performances it showed that we did have the fight for the battle with Williams, Fernandez, Cork and Britton fighting for every ball whilst Ayew and Sigurdsson chased everything giving Watford no real easy possession even in their own half.
It was commented on the forum here before the game that we didn't score many goals from our defenders so maybe it was entirely predictable that one would score tonight and it came from a typically poor Swansea corner. As Watford cleared the ball we won it back and found Ki on the right hand side of his area and his perfect cross was headed into the net by Williams with an accuracy that we wish he could show more often in the opposition area.
The Liberty came to life and the Swans pressed on for most of the first half but never really looked like adding to the lead that Williams had given us.
New head coach Francesco Guidolin watched on from the Liberty stands having been confirmed as in role this afternoon and he will have some ideas on what is needed performance wise in the next few games and he will make his first selection for Sunday's game at Everton.
The key today though was a win and we got it which has to give us confidence for the games coming forward and a renewed hope that we can get ourselves out of this position and retain our Premier League status.
Today was a good day