Southampton 1 Watford 1: Nathan Redmond equalises after Etienne Capoue gave ten-man Hornets the lead in the opening half

NATHAN REDMOND netted a second-half equaliser after Etienne Capoue had given Watford a 1-0 lead early at St Mary's Stadium.

Etienne Capoue finally netted his first ever goal for the Hornets, charging into the box from a knock-down header to thunder the ball into the back of the net.

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However, Saints new boy Nathan Redmond - in his first Premier League game since his switch from Norwich - netted with a left-foot volley on the hour to draw his side level.

With the hosts pressing, things got worse for Watford, as last man Ben Watson was sent off after bringing down Shane Long outside the area - the first red card of the season.

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FACTS, STATS, GOALS & LOLS

• MANAGERS Claude Puel and Walter Mazzarri competed in the sartorial stakes. Both suited and booted - no trackie tops or trainers.
• CALL that one a draw, but Mazzarri was clear winner in the touchline antics, crouching, pacing and gesturing while Puel stayed calm.
• SOME things are worth waiting for - like Etienne Capoue's first goal for Watford. The midfielder has been a Hornet for more than a year.

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• FORGET pre-season friendly form. Saints have shone but looked like they didn’t know each other early on. Watford stuttered in friendlies but looked a compact unit.
• HEURELHO GOMES had a hamstring injury scare – and Watford will hope it’s not serious. The big Brazilian keeper is important to the Hornets even though he was at fault for Saints’ goal.
• THESE sides will not shrink from a physical battle in the new campaign. Tackles flew in thick and fast, with nobody giving an inch.
• GIVING a player a new five-year contract is not necessarily a good thing. Odion Ighalo signed one this week and seemed to think he was being paid for giving the ball away.

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• DON'T get in an argument with Saints forward Nathan Redmond. The boy just never gives up, as he showed in a tirade against anybody who would listen when Shane Long was injured. But Redmond made his point
  with a goal.
• SAINTS have a reputation for quickly replacing stars who have been sold, but it could be a while before they get over the departure of forwards Graziano Pelle and Sadio Mane.
• EUROPA LEAGUE? We’re not quite having a laugh but Puel is right to point out that the hectic schedule will put his squad under strain.

SOCIAL SAYS

WHAT THEY SAID

Southampton scorer Nathan Redmond: "We wanted to get off to a good start.

"We were sloppy in the first half but luckily picked it up in the second. We’ve got to start better in the next game.

"The manager told us at half-time to take pride in what we were doing. We showed great spirit to come back.

"To get my first goal is good but I’d have preferred the three points."

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Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri: “I am very happy with how we did. I look at the performance more than the point.

“When we had 10 men we were not able to play our game but the team showed great character.

“I think in the first half we could have got a bit more. When our energy was good we played a great game but we couldn’t quite finish the game off.

“The players have done well with the formation and I think we were unlucky with the red card because we were playing well at that moment."