LONDON - Midfielder Ashley Young laid on the first goal and scored two more, including a late equaliser, to give Watford a 3-3 draw with Fulham in a Premier League thriller at Vicarage Road on Monday.

Watford led 2-0 with 20 minutes to go and looked set to notch their first win and climb out of the relegation zone but defender Damien Francis's 87th-minute own goal looked to have won the match for Fulham before Young's last-gasp equaliser.

The home side went ahead midway through the first half when Young's perfectly weighted chip into the box was met by striker Marlon King, who ran between two defenders to ram the ball home.

Young raced in at the far post to score his first Premier League goal less than half a minute into the second half from Hameur Bouazza's low cross from the left to make it 2-0.

Substitute Brian McBride pulled one back for Fulham in the 71st minute when former Watford forward Heidar Helguson headed Wayne Routledge's cross into the U.S. striker's path.

Helguson equalised with a close-range header seven minutes from time after substitute Tomasz Radzinski did well to pull a high ball back from the goalline into the six-yard box.

The Iceland forward then looked set to put Fulham ahead in a goalmouth melee only for Francis to stab an attempted clearance into the net and put the visitors ahead.

Young salvaged a point when he volleyed an 89th-minute equaliser to keep Watford one point above bottom club Charlton Athletic with four points from seven matches.

Manchester United lead the standings from champions Chelsea on goal difference after their 2-0 home win over Newcastle United on Sunday. Both have 16 points after Chelsea were held 1-1 at home by Aston Villa on Saturday.