Watford were excellent in the first half and defended bravely in the second to produce a memorable 2-1 win over Southampton in front of a bouncing Vicarage Road on opening weekend.
The Hornets were exceptional from the off, Iker Bravo slaloming into the box and finishing on his league debut to open the scoring in a feisty affair.
And as Alessio Dionisi's side flew into challenges and pressed high, Amin Nabizada put his name up in lights by running from his own half and dispatching to double the lead on the half-hour mark.
The Hornets could have had more but had to settle for a two-goal lead at the break, before Southampton turned up the heat after the break.
Cyle Larin pulled one back with well over 30 minutes to play and, at times, it seemed the Watford resistance may crumble.
But Mattie Pollock and Kevin Keben set the tone as Dionisi's side threw themselves in front of everything – and enjoyed some luck as Taylor Harwood-Bellis missed a huge chance in added time.
They held on, though, and celebrated a massive opening day victory in front of a fanbase that badly needed the smile this win puts on their faces.
Before kick-off, a fantastic tribute was paid to Kenny Jackett, who sits eighth on Watford's list of all-time appearances, with a banner unfurled in the Rookery end and a minute's applause ringing around Vicarage Road.
Once the football was under way, Watford worked hard to keep up with Southampton's slicker football, though Hector Kyprianou was booked after eight minutes for a very late challenge on Leo Scienza.
And just over 10 minutes in, they had the lead from their first attack.
A wayward clearance was seized on expertly by Bravo, who danced into the box and dispatched a clipped finish beyond Daniel Peretz – the ball taking a nick off a defender on the way in.
A flurry of cards followed in a feisty opening 20 minutes, Kyprianou joined by Mattie Pollock in the book for Watford, with Cyle Larin and James Bree penalised for the visitors.
Watford eased into their best period of the game and Othmane Maamma was denied at the near post from close range.
Huge disappointment followed as Marc Bola was visibly upset as he was substituted off with a hamstring injury – but the bad news didn't last long.
Just shy of the hour mark, full senior debutant Amin Nabizada created some Rookery end history as he ran from inside his own half, into the box and clinically finished into the far corner; a magic goal for 'one of our own', who was serenaded as such by the fans behind the goal.
