Ighalo misses out on Watford’s 86-year record

Odion Ighalo and his Watford mates have lost back-to-back games in the EPL, starting the new year 2016 on a bad note.

They had lost their last game in the year 2015 to Tottenham Hotspur at the same ground on December 28, but with Ighalo scoring his 14th of the season and 30th of the year.

The Hornets were stunned at Vicarage road by two Manchester City goals from Ivorian Yaya Toure and Argentine international, Sergio Aguero, after going up through an Aleksandar Kolarov own goal in the 55th minute.

The Nigerian international was not on the score sheet on the night and as a result, missed out on setting a new record for himself as only the second Watford player to score in seven consecutive games for the club.

He also missed out on tying the leading scorers in the EPL, Jamie Vardy and Romelu Lukaku, who are both on 15 goals, with the former failing to score in their game against Bournemouth the same day.

Before the game, Frank McPherson, a Watford legend, had his record of scoring in seven consecutive games on the brink of being equalled, 86 years after it was set in the 1928/1929 season in the English third division.

During the season, Macpherson had scored a total 33 goals in 33 appearances for the club and came close but couldn’t equal or surpass the tally in the following season.

Ighalo already became the first Hornets player to score six consecutive times in topflight games with his strike in the 1-2 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in December 2015, the Nigerian international doubling as the highest goal scorer in the whole of England in one calendar year with 30 goals.

Yaya Toure equalised for the Citizens in the 82nd minute before Aguero sealed the win two minutes later.

Ighalo came close to scoring Watford’s second and possibly gaining a point for the hosts late into the end of the game, but a flat-footed shot with the left foot was not enough to startle City’s goalkeeper, Joe Hart.

With the win, City sit third on the log, one point behind second-placed Leicester, while leaders Arsenal increased their lead at the top with their 1-0 win over Newcastle at the Emirates.

Laurent Koscielny earned the three points for the gunners with a header on 72 minutes