Watford vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction from 2016 Premier League Match

Substitute Juan Camilo Zuniga condemned Manchester United to a third defeat in a row in all competitions by putting Watford 2-1 ahead at Vicarage Road on Sunday before winning a stoppage-time penalty that Troy Deeney converted to give the Hornets a 3-1 win over the troubled Red Devils on Sunday.

Less than 60 seconds after entering the game, Zuniga had put Watford 2-1 in front with seven minutes to go. The Red Devils are now six points behind neighbours Manchester City and already look off the pace in the Premier League title race.

Etienne Capoue had given Watford the lead before the break, which was just reward for a dominant first-half display from the hosts. However, Marcus Rashford got United back in it just after the hour mark, scoring on his first league start under manager Jose Mourinho.

It means Mourinho has now lost three straight for a very rare time in his career, per football writer Andy Mitten:

Watford boss Walter Mazzarri named a strong starting XI, which featured excellent summer buys Daryl Janmaat and Roberto Pereyra, per the team's Twitter account:

Meanwhile, Mourinho restored Anthony Martial to the starting lineup. He also made room for Rashford in a speedy forward line built to play on the break, per the club:

Significantly, Chris Smalling came in at the heart of defence alongside summer arrival Eric Bailly, with Dutchman Daley Blind dropped, which was a rarity, according to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

A lot of focus was on world-record signing Paul Pogba, whose start to his second spell at United has been sluggish. But the Frenchman was on the ball early and often, playing on the left of a midfield three.

Still, United's most obvious initial threats were down the flanks, but Watford wing-backs Janmaat and Jose Holebas received solid support from midfield players tracking overlapping runners out wide.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

In fact, the Hornets had the best chances of the early stages. A stretching Deeney couldn't prod the ball into an empty net after Sebastian Prodl headed across goal from a set piece.

Odion Ighalo then spurned an even better chance when David De Gea failed to claim a clearance after colliding with Smalling when coming to collect. The ball bounced for Ighalo, who inexplicably shot wide with the net deserted.

Ighalo was prolific early on in his Premier League career before an alarming dip in form—one summed up by BBC Match of the Day:

Watford's pressure continued, though, and Deeney soon forced De Gea into a superb save when he launched a bullet header toward the top corner. United's Spanish stopper made amends for his earlier gaffe with a splendid display of athleticism.

A rare United chance saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic slash a shot against the side netting at the other end. Despite the effort, there wasn't any urgency in United's forward play during the opening exchanges.

The sluggish fare prompted this sarcastic reference to Mourinho's predecessor from Jamie Jackson of the Guardian:

United needed some inspiration, and Pogba nearly provided it. The midfielder smoothly shifted the ball with one foot before smashing a dipping, long-range shot off the bar with his right.

Yet the stunning drive didn't provide the spark the visitors were missing, and Watford were soon ahead. The goal came when Martial was caught on the ball by Miguel Britos and Janmaat raced clear before pulling back for Capoue to sweep home.

WhoScored.com detailed how prolific former Toulouse man Capoue has become this season:

Meanwhile, OptaJoe credited raiding full-back Janmaat for his ability as a creator of goals:

A clearly hurt Martial was soon replaced by ex-Hornets star Ashley Young as United were scrambling for solutions. But they couldn't find any before the break.

Watford received an early blow in the second half when Janmaat had to be replaced by Nordin Amrabat after a clash with Pogba. The Hornets had lost perhaps their best attacking outlet from the first half.

Mourinho changed things by pushing Rooney further forward, just off Ibrahimovic. He soon introduced Juan Mata for Antonio Valencia as United needed more impetus up front.

Rashford duly provided it, nudging the ball home after an Ibrahimovic cross hit Prodl and rebounded off Britos. As Match of the Day pointed out, the Red Devils had been ruthless with their meagre opportunities:

United now had some swagger going forward, and it took a brilliant save from Heurelho Gomes to keep the scores level, as he palmed away a powerful header from Ibrahimovic.

Mazzarri needed to stem the growing tide of United attacks and removed Capoue for wing-back Zuniga. The decision soon looked like a masterstroke when the substitute finished from a smart pull-back by Pereyra.

The Premier League noted how quickly Zuniga had changed the game:

Zuniga wasn't finished yet, though. He won a penalty when Marouane Fellaini made a rash challenge, and Deeney was cool from the spot.

United's disjointed attack couldn't get one back, and the visitors completed a miserable eight days by slipping to another costly defeat in England's top flight.

Naturally, Mourinho was unimpressed by what he saw. Though he chided his team's slow start, the United manager focused most of his ire on the performance of the officials and Watford's supposed good fortune, per an interview with BT Sport (h/t the Manchester Evening News):

"

We can work and improve on it, [but] the referee and linesman mistake is not under my control. I can't do nothing to improve it. In the second half we were much better. We get the draw [level], Gomes makes a phenomenal save and the lucky moment is something we cannot control. That second goal is an individual mistake because we know we have to press the wing-backs outside the box and not let them take the advantage of being one against one inside the box.

"

There's no denying Britos' tackle on Martial just before the first goal was a contentious one, even it's a bit rich to call Watford "lucky." The Hornets were the better side for large portions of the game.