Watford 1-2 Stoke City: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Championship Matchday 7 · Saturday 12 September 2026 · Vicarage Road, Watford · referee L. Smith · full time
Full time: Watford 1-2 Stoke City
Stoke City beat Watford 2-1 in Championship Matchday 7 on Saturday 12 September 2026 at Vicarage Road. The goals: Jack McGlynn 45+4', Eric-Junior Bocat 57', Amin Nabizada 90+1'.
How Stoke City won it
Stoke City struck first through Jack McGlynn in the 45th minute (+4). Eric-Junior Bocat made it 0-2 to Stoke City in the 57th minute, set up by Lamine Cissé. Amin Nabizada made it 1-2 to Watford in the 90th minute (+1), set up by Edo Kayembe.
It was 0-1 at half-time.
The referee, L. Smith, showed 4 yellow cards: 2 to Watford and 2 to Stoke City.
Watford: A. Dionisi, 4-2-3-1 · Stoke City: M. Robins, 3-4-2-1.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.37 for Watford and 0.40 for Stoke City.
Stoke City made more of their chances than the xG suggests, by about 1.6 goals.
Watford created the better chances, 1.37 xG to 0.40, and still lost. On chances alone, the result could easily have gone the other way.
Watford had 2 shots on target, Stoke City 6.
Stoke City had 59% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Watford came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 0.8 and conceding 1.7 a match, with 1.10 expected goals for and 1.89 against, and had won 25% of their matches.
Stoke City came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 1.5 and conceding 1.3 a match, with 0.97 expected goals for and 1.57 against, and had won 50% of their matches.
Watford vs Stoke City: the match in numbers
| Watford | Match statistics | Stoke City |
|---|---|---|
| 41% | Ball possession | 59% |
| 1.37 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.40 |
| 6 | Total shots | 18 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 6 |
| 0 | Big chances | 2 |
| 380 | Total passes | 545 |
| 80% | Pass accuracy | 87% |
| 5 | Corners | 8 |
| 14 | Fouls | 6 |
| 0 | Offsides | 1 |
| 18 | Tackles | 21 |
| 4 | Saves | 1 |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 2 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Ethan Galbraith (Stoke City), rated 7.9 by Sportmonks.
Watford
- Amin Nabizada 7.0 1 goal
- Hector Kyprianou 6.9
- Mamadou Doumbia 6.9
- Jordan Zemura 6.8
- Federico Ravaglia 6.8
Stoke City
- Ethan Galbraith 7.9
- Eric-Junior Bocat 7.9 1 goal
- Jack McGlynn 7.5 1 goal
- Justin Devenny 7.4
- Ben Johnson 7.4
The lowest-rated starter was Kévin Keben at 5.8. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Watford: Norwich City vs Watford Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
- Stoke City: Stoke City vs Preston North End Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Watford vs Stoke City
What was the score in Watford vs Stoke City?
Watford 1-2 Stoke City (half-time 0-1), Championship, Saturday 12 September 2026.
Who scored in Watford vs Stoke City?
Jack McGlynn 45+4', Eric-Junior Bocat 57', Amin Nabizada 90+1'.
Did Moneyball predict Watford vs Stoke City correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Watford vs Stoke City?
Ethan Galbraith, rated 7.9 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Watford vs Stoke City?
L. Smith.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.