Watford edged past Southampton in a thrilling Championship match, with Amin Nabizada scoring a stunning goal in the 29th minute. The win sees Watford move 29 points behind leaders Coventry in the title race. The Hornets' victory was a result of their strong team effort, with several signings making their mark quickly. Iker Bravo, who joined from Udinese, opened the scoring with a solo goal in the 12th minute. The energy among the Vicarage Road crowd grew immediately, and the home side dominated the first half. Southampton had the better of the second half, taking advantage of a drop in tempo from the hosts to assert their interests. A spell of concerted possession in the 56th minute ended with Kuryu Matsuki pulling out wide, the young midfielder Cam Bragg moving unmarked into the half space and his shift left finding the Canada World Cup star Cyle Larin to poke home from 10 yards out. The Spain under-21 attacker Iker Bravo was one of several signings to make the familiar trek from 'sister' club Udinese this summer, and he made his mark quickly, opening the scoring with a quite stunning solo goal in the 12th minute. It was all his own work and Bravo had to deploy a combination of skills to turn an innocuous situation into real danger. Looking to latch on to a long ball some 40 yards from goal, the 6ft playmaker won the first header then, crucially, got a second touch with an outstretched toe to get the ball under control. Bravo then span immediately and drove at goal, pushing his way into the box before chopping right and getting off a low shot that Daniel Peretz got a hand to, but could not keep out. A great way to start any season, the energy among the Vicarage Road crowd grew immediately and the home side went on to dominate the first half. They doubled their lead in the 29th minute with a moment to remember for 19-year-old academy graduate Amin Nabizada who exploited the same gaps on the left of the Southampton defence to run with the ball from his own half before finishing precisely from a tight angle. 'Nabizada was emotional but after the first 10 minutes he played well,' Dionisi said. 'When there is one mentality amongst the team, then it's better for him too.'