Watford 3-0 Birmingham — EFL Championship, 1 Jan 2026
Watford beat Birmingham 3-0 in the EFL Championship on 1 January 2026 at Vicarage Road, Watford. Thomas Ince scored for Watford. Full match stats, line-ups and player ratings are below. In their last 5 meetings, Watford have won 3 and Birmingham 1, 1 draw.
Match timeline
- 1-09'Thomas Inceassist: G. Chakvetadze
- 2-038'Thomas Ince
- 43'Matthew PollockFoul
- Half-time2-0
- 46'
- 46'out: M. Leonard
- 46'
- 3-060'Thomas Inceassist: Nestory Irankunda
- 62'Alexander Cochraneout: Eiran Cashin
- 63'Foul
- 64'Luca Kjerrumgaardout: V. Semedo
- 68'Kyogo Furuhashiout: M. Ducksch
- 69'Imrân Louzaout: Nampalys Mendy
- 70'Othmane Maammaout: M. Sissoko
- 77'Thomas Inceout: Kwadwo Baah
- 77'K. Andersonout: Lewis Koumas
- 78'Foul
- Full-time3-0
Player ratings
10.0
Top rated
Thomas Ince · Watford
Watford
- 10.0Thomas InceM
- 7.9Nestory IrankundaF
- 7.5Hector KyprianouM
- 7.5Max AlleyneD
- 7.3Giorgi ChakvetadzeM
- 7.2Marc BolaD
- 7.2Egil SelvikG
- 7.2Imrân LouzaM
- 7.0Matthew PollockD
- 6.9Nampalys MendyM
- 6.7Kwadwo BaahF
- 6.7James AbankwahD
- 6.5Luca KjerrumgaardF
- 6.3Moussa SissokoM
- 6.3Othmane MaammaM
- 6.2VivaldoF
Birmingham
- 6.9Eiran CashinD
- 6.9Keshi AndersonM
- 6.9Marc LeonardM
- 6.5Phil NeumannD
- 6.5Kyogo FuruhashiF
- 6.3Willum WillumssonM
- 6.3Lewis KoumasF
- 6.3James BeadleG
- 6.2Lyndon DykesF
- 6.2Marvin DuckschF
- 6.2Jack RobinsonD
- 6.2Seung-Ho PaikM
- 6.0Tomoki IwataM
- 6.0Alexander CochraneD
- 6.0Alfons SampstedD
- 5.9Patrick RobertsM
Line-ups
Birmingham4-2-3-1
Watford4-2-3-1
GlobalScoreX
14Anderson6.9
6Robinson6.2
5Neumann6.5
24Iwata6.0
9Furuhashi6.5
16Roberts5.9
20Cochrane6.0
25Beadle6.3
6Pollock7.0
7Ince★10.0
16Bola7.2
10Louza7.2
5Kyprianou7.5
25Abankwah6.7
9Kjerrumgaard6.5
42Maamma6.3
Substitutes
WatfordJavier Gracia Carlos
Substitutes
- 17M. Sissoko70'M6.3
- 12Nathan BaxterG
- 23Nampalys Mendy69'M6.9
- 29Jérémy PétrisD
- 34Kwadwo Baah77'F6.7
- 22James MorrisD
- 4Kévin KebenD
- 66Nestory Irankunda46'F7.9
- 18V. Semedo64'F6.2
BirminghamChris Davies
Substitutes
- 21Ryan AllsopG
- 33M. Ducksch68'F6.2
- 27Kanya FujimotoM
- 17Lyndon Dykes63'46'F6.2
- 41Eiran Cashin62'D6.9
- 12M. Leonard46'M6.9
- 30Lewis Koumas77'F6.3
- 42D. IsicheiM
- 40M. MazwiM
Team statistics
45%Possession55%
1.56Expected goals (xG)0.40
13Total shots6
6Shots on target2
5Shots off target3
2Blocked shots1
4Corners4
1Offsides3
5Fouls14
1Yellow cards2
2Goalkeeper saves3
-0.60Goals prevented-0.60
402Total passes484
317Accurate passes396
79%Pass accuracy82%
Watford
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | KP | Tkl | Drb | Rt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Ince | 77 | 3 | 0 | 5 | – | 1 | – | 10.0 |
| Nestory Irankunda | 45 | – | 1 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 7.9 |
| Hector Kyprianou | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | 2 | – | 7.5 |
| Max Alleyne | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | 3 | – | 7.5 |
| Giorgi Chakvetadze | 45 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 7.3 |
| Marc Bola | 90 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 2 | 1 | 7.2 |
| Egil Selvik | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 7.2 |
| Imrân Louza | 69 | – | 0 | – | – | – | 1 | 7.2 |
| Matthew Pollock | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | 1 | – | 7.0 |
| Nampalys Mendy | 21 | – | 0 | – | – | 1 | – | 6.9 |
| Kwadwo Baah | 13 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.7 |
| James Abankwah | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.7 |
| Luca Kjerrumgaard | 64 | – | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | 6.5 |
| Moussa Sissoko | 20 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.3 |
| Othmane Maamma | 70 | – | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6.3 |
| Vivaldo | 26 | – | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | 6.2 |
Birmingham
| Player | Min | G | A | Sh | KP | Tkl | Drb | Rt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eiran Cashin | 28 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 1 | – | 6.9 |
| Keshi Anderson | 77 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6.9 |
| Marc Leonard | 45 | – | 0 | – | – | 1 | – | 6.9 |
| Phil Neumann | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | 2 | – | 6.5 |
| Kyogo Furuhashi | 68 | – | 0 | 1 | – | – | – | 6.5 |
| Willum Willumsson | 45 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 6.3 |
| Lewis Koumas | 13 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.3 |
| James Beadle | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.3 |
| Lyndon Dykes | 45 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.2 |
| Marvin Ducksch | 22 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.2 |
| Jack Robinson | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – | 6.2 |
| Seung-Ho Paik | 90 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 1 | – | 6.2 |
| Tomoki Iwata | 90 | – | 0 | – | – | 1 | – | 6.0 |
| Alexander Cochrane | 62 | – | 0 | – | – | 3 | – | 6.0 |
| Alfons Sampsted | 45 | – | 0 | – | 1 | – | – | 6.0 |
| Patrick Roberts | 90 | – | 0 | 3 | – | – | 2 | 5.9 |
Recent Form
WatfordWWWDD
- W29 Dec 25ANorwich1-0
- W26 Dec 25ALeicester2-1
- W20 Dec 25HStoke City1-0
- D13 Dec 25AWrexham2-2
- D09 Dec 25HSheffield Wednesday1-1
BirminghamDDLDL
- D29 Dec 25HSouthampton1-1
- D26 Dec 25HDerby1-1
- L20 Dec 25ASheffield Utd0-3
- D13 Dec 25HCharlton1-1
- L09 Dec 25AQPR1-2
Head-to-head
- 01 Dec 25Birmingham2-1Watford
- 16 Mar 24Birmingham0-1Watford
- 16 Sept 23Watford2-0Birmingham
- 14 Mar 23Watford3-0Birmingham
- 16 Aug 22Birmingham1-1Watford
- 20 Mar 21Watford3-0Birmingham
Most recent meetings
Final table, EFL Championship 2025/26
| # | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Derby | 46 | +8 | 69 |
| 9 | Norwich | 46 | +7 | 65 |
| 10 | Birmingham | 46 | +1 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -2 | 64 |
| 12 | Bristol City | 46 | 0 | 62 |
| 14 | Preston | 46 | -7 | 60 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -12 | 58 |
| 16 | Watford | 46 | -12 | 57 |
| 17 | Stoke City | 46 | -5 | 55 |
| 18 | Portsmouth | 46 | -15 | 55 |
Before and after
Watford
- Previous: Norwich 0-1 Watford, 29 Dec 2025 · EFL Championship
- Next: Bristol City 5-1 Watford, 10 Jan 2026 · FA Cup
Birmingham
- Previous: Birmingham 1-1 Southampton, 29 Dec 2025 · EFL Championship
- Next: Birmingham 3-2 Coventry, 4 Jan 2026 · EFL Championship
Data updated