Joao Pedro's magnificent curling strike earned Watford victory at Derby County in a scrappy Championship encounter otherwise short on quality and incident.
An error-strewn affair, without even a shot on target until the 74th minute, was eventually decided by a real moment of class from the 19-year-old, turning on the edge of the box before bending a brilliant right-footed effort into the top corner.
Until that point neither side had done enough to justify the three points, although Watford did look the more threatening.
The Hornets probed throughout but were often let down by the final pass, while they also had strong appeals for a penalty turned down after half-time when Nathaniel Chalobah's shot appeared to strike the arm of Derby's George Evans.