In-form striker guides Blackburn Rovers up to eighth in the league

It was Rhodes who got the only goal of the game in last season’s corresponding fixture.

And the prolific striker did it again to earn his side a hard-earned but thoroughly deserved victory over the high-flying Hornets.

Gianfranco Zola’s men are the Championship’s top-scoring team.

But they rarely looked like breaking down the outstanding Rovers defence at Ewood Park last night.

The winner came in the 65th minute as Rhodes headed home from close range.

It was his ninth goal of the campaign – all of which have come in his last seven matches – and one which moved Gary Bowyer’s ever-improving team up to eighth in the standings.

Unsurprisingly Rovers boss Bowyer kept faith with the side which started Saturday’s impressive 3-1 win at Bournemouth.

In contrast Hornets manager Zola made five changes.

Out went Joel Ekstrand, Lloyd Doyley, Daniel Pudil, Sean Murray and Fernando Forestieri and in came Essaid Belkalem, Marco Cassetti, Davide Faraoni, Cristian Battocchio and Javier Acuna into a cosmopolitan starting line-up featuring seven different nationalities.

It was one of Watford’s three Italians on show, Battocchio, who had stepped off the bench to earn his team a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Wigan on Saturday.

It was a victory which left Watford chasing a fourth straight league win for the first time since January 2011.

But there was no indication they would get one in a tight and tentative first half in which there was plenty of patient football but very little in the way of incision.

The Hornets, in particular, were happy to sit deep and play the ball around at the back. It did not make for much of a spectacle.

Matters may have been different had Rhodes not passed up the best chance of the half 15 minutes in.

Tom Cairney, who was always looking for an opening, played the ball out wide to Josh King.

King cut inside and saw his low, fizzed cross cleared to Corry Evans on the edge of the box.

The midfielder took a touch before sliding a delicate, reverse pass into the path of Rhodes who beat the offside trap but also the far post as he dragged his left-footed effort wide.

Had Rhodes scored at that point it would have drawn Watford out.

Instead they continued to keep possession in areas in which their hardworking hosts were happy to let them have it.

The visitors did go close once before the break, though, when Faraoni’s cross from the right found Acuna.

The Paraguayan’s header was heading towards goal until Todd Kane got his head in the way.

It was a let-off for Rovers but not as big as the one Watford survived on the stroke of half-time.

Tommy Spurr’s deep cross from the left was headed back across goal by Leon Best to strike-partner Rhodes who claimed he had been shoved in the back.

However play continued and after the ball broke to Evans 18 yards out, he pulled back his right foot and sent a snap shot inches past the upright.

Having finished the half strongly Rovers continued where they left off after the restart – but only after the Hornets had wasted a decent opportunity through Ikechi Anya.

Firstly Rhodes fired straight at Manuel Almunia before the former Arsenal goalkeeper got down low to his left to prevent King from putting a finishing touch to a thrilling run from deep.

The pressure was building and Watford buckled in the 65th minute.

A long throw into the box by Tommy Spurr was headed toward the back post by captain Scott Dann to the waiting Rhodes.

The prolific striker did not need asking twice as he thumped a header past Almunia and into the roof of the net.

The Hornets responded with a long-range thunderbolt from Anya which whistled past the underworked Jake Kean’s left-hand post.

But they could so easily have fallen further behind when substitute Ben Marshall showed some neat skill on the left flank before sending over a cross that the incoming Cairney would have been confident of converting had Rhodes not taken it off his head.

Almunia then got the better of Rhodes in a one-on-one in a tense five minutes of injury-time.

which their hardworking hosts were happy to let them have it.

The visitors did go close once before the break, though, when Faraoni’s cross from the right found Acuna.

The Paraguayan’s header was heading towards goal until Todd Kane got his head in the way.

It was a let-off for Rovers but not as big as the one Watford survived on the stroke of half-time.

Tommy Spurr’s deep cross from the left was headed back across goal by Leon Best to strike-partner Rhodes who claimed he had been shoved in the back.

However play continued and after the ball broke to Evans 18 yards out, he pulled back his right foot and sent a snap shot inches past the upright.

Having finished the half strongly Rovers continued where they left off after the restart – but only after the Hornets had wasted a decent opportunity through Ikechi Anya.

Firstly Rhodes fired straight at Manuel Almunia before the former Arsenal goalkeeper got down low to his left to prevent King from putting a finishing touch to a thrilling run from deep.

The pressure was building and Watford buckled in the 65th minute.

A long throw into the box by Tommy Spurr was headed toward the back post by captain Scott Dann to the waiting Rhodes.

The prolific striker did not need asking twice as he thumped a header past Almunia and into the roof of the net.

The Hornets responded with a long-range thunderbolt from Anya which whistled past the underworked Jake Kean’s left-hand post.

But they could so easily have fallen further behind when substitute Ben Marshall showed some neat skill on the left flank before sending over a cross that the incoming Cairney would have been confident of converting had Rhodes not taken it off his head.

Almunia then got the better of Rhodes in a one-on-one in a tense five minutes of injury-time.