Newly-appointed Watford head coach Billy McKinlay was impressed by the way his players ignored the upheaval of recent days to secure victory against Brentford.
This has been a tumultuous time at Vicarage Road, with the former Scotland international on Monday becoming the club’s third manager in the space of a month.
Oscar Garcia was named head coach following Beppe Sannino’s resignation at the end of August, but illness saw the Spaniard relinquish the role after just 27 days.
McKinlay, only brought in as first-team coach on Friday, was immediately named successor, giving him little more than 24 hours to prepare for Tuesday’s clash with Brentford.
It was a match Watford won 2-1 thanks to an Odion Ighalo effort and Matej Vydra’s wonder-strike, with Brentford unable to add to a Jonathan Douglas goal despite Daniel Pudil’s late sending-off.
“I am very, very pleased, to be honest,” said McKinlay. “First of all, I am really delighted to be in charge.
“Maybe I would be exaggerating a little bit if I said I enjoyed it that much. I am enjoying it now but I am really pleased obviously with the result and certain aspects of the performance.
“There are little bits and pieces we need to work on going forwards, but overall I am really happy.
“Yesterday was a really strange day. Things happened so quickly and obviously the rest is history, as they say.
“It was a hectic day but I spoke to the players and just said ‘listen, the most important thing is your performance and your focus’.
“Unfortunately these things happen in football in many guises but I just said they had to settle down, focus, concentrate on the game and cut away the sideshow. I think we did that really well. I am pleased.”
While McKinlay could celebrate a maiden win as manager, Brentford counterpart Mark Warburton was left infuriated by what he felt was a game-changing decision in the first half.
Referee Graham Salisbury adjudged James Tarkowski to have taken down Ighalo late as half-time approached, with the Nigerian maintaining his composure to slot home the rebound after David Button saved the initial penalty.
“It was a magnificent shot from Vydra and there is nothing you can do about that,” Warburton said. “What changed the game was that shocking penalty decision.
“The Watford player is running into the box, Tarkowski is running alongside him, his hands are up and the player goes straight to ground. There was no contact whatsoever.
“The referee’s delay in giving the decision was to see if it was a yellow or a red. That is absolutely incredible. Our players are distraught in there.
“I hate to come across as having sour grapes because it is not that at all. The fact is my players and our 2,000 fans were fantastic tonight and deserved at least a point.”
Norwich City, meanwhile, retained top spot in the Championship despite being beaten at home by Charlton Athletic.
The side were undone by Johnnie Jackson’s 86th-minute strike at Carrow Road, but Nottingham Forest missed an opportunity to go above them.
Forest were held 0-0 on their travels by Wigan Athletic, and although that was enough to haul them level on 20 points with Norwich, their goal difference is marginally inferior.
Derby County marked manager Steve McClaren’s first year in charge by seeing off Bournemouth 2-0 at Pride Park, where both goals arrived following goalkeeper Lee Camp’s 68th-minute red card for a professional foul.
With former Derby keeper Camp out of the action, Will Hughes struck nine minutes from time to open Derby’s account, then prolific marksman Chris Martin pounced during the dying seconds to wrap up three points and take County fourth.
Ipswich remained in fifth after a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday, where Atdhe Nuhiu’s early header put Wednesday ahead before substitute Jonny Williams drew Ipswich level midway through the second period.
Elsewhere, bottom club Blackpool held hosts Middlesbrough 1-1 as former Boro player Ishmael Miller cancelled out Daniel Ayala’s goal for the home side, and Rotherham United saw off Blackburn Rovers 2-0 thanks to goals by Kari Arnason and Luciano Becchio.
Cardiff City, who hope to appoint Russell Slade as their new manager later this week, drew 1-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion after Kenwyne Jones equalised within a minute of Bruno putting Brighton ahead, and Birmingham City were 3-1 winners away to Millwall courtesy of goals by Clayton Donaldson, David Cotterill and Wes Thomas. Lee Gregory scored for Millwall.
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali
Proudest achievement: “I came to a new country and started this shop”
Favourite TV programme: the news
Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”
Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
