Watford moving on up; Lavezzi fires up PSG; Bayern’s title watch continues

 Watford

Watford became the first side promoted to the English Premier League on Saturday. The Championship leaders won 2-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion in a lunch-time kick-off thanks to goals from top-scorer Troy Deeney and substitute Matej Vydra. That result proved enough to earn a first season back in England’s top flight since 2006/07 as Middlesbrough lost 4-3 at Fulham and Norwich City drew 1-1 at Rotherham United.

 Paris Saint-Germain

Ezequiel Lavezzi rediscovered his scoring touch on Saturday, notching a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain went to the top of Ligue 1 with a 6-1 demolition of Lille. The Argentine forward, who had previously netted four league goals this season, struck twice in the first half and again after the break. Edinson Cavani, with a double, and Maxwell completed the rout. PSG have 68 points with five games left, three ahead of Lyon who travel to Reims on Sunday.

 Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich can be crowned Bundesliga champions today after Bastian Schweinsteiger’s 80th-minute goal gave them a 1-0 win over Hertha Berlin Saturday. The result puts them 15 points clear of Wolfsburg and a third successive Bundesliga title will be Bayern’s if Wolfsburg fail to pick up three points from their trip to Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday.

 Real Madrid

Javier Hernandez will get another chance to prove his worth to Real Madrid when the European champions try to keep their Primera Liga title hopes alive at Celta Vigo today.

Hernandez was Real’s UefaChampions League hero on Wednesday when his 88th-minute goal finally broke the resistance of city neighbours Atletico in their quarter-final second leg at the Bernabeu.

But the Mexican’s future remains shrouded in uncertainty as Real ponder whether to turn his season-long loan from Manchester United into a permanent move, with Spanish media reporting that Madrid have a €10 million (Dh39.9m) option to buy the 26-year-old striker.

Hernandez, whose United contract expires in 2016, will again deputise for the injured Karim Benzema today, this time with the praise of Real manager Carlo Ancelotti ringing in his ears.

“He was a fantastic solution, because he played really well with a lot of intensity,” Ancelotti said after Hernandez’s sixth goal for Real fired the side into a fifth straight semi-final of the Champions League. “He deserved it because he hasn’t played a lot this season but when I told him to play he was ready. He was professional and I’m happy for him.”