Source: TheGuardian
Watford 1-0 Everton: Premier League – as it happened
Troy Deeney’s second-half strike lifted Watford into mid-table and settled a dire game as Everton’s poor away form continued 7.22pm GMT It’s a second win for Gracia and it’s probably just about a fair result. Watford made earlier attacking changes and edged the second half. Everton never got going. Deeney’s finish was the game’s one moment of quality. It was dire but thanks for reading. Watford move up to 10th, one place and one point behind Everton. Have a good evening. 7.20pm GMT 90+3 and-a-bit min: Pickford wins the header and knocks it down for Tosun. The ball bounces and the Turk heads at goal but Karnezis gathers it into his chest and that’s that. No goalscoring-keeper heroics then. 7.19pm GMT 90+3 min: Everton win a free-kick near their own corner flag after a silly foul from Okaka. Pickford clatters it long and Walcott wins a corner. Pickford goes up for it. Could they? Could he? 7.18pm GMT 90+2 min: Everton can’t get out of their own half. 7.17pm GMT 90 min: There will be three more minutes of this classic. Lucky us. 7.16pm GMT 88 min: A watford corner. It’s played short and Watford look to waste some precious time in the corner. Eventually Femenia wriggles away from a collection of blue-shirted bodies and burst into the box before winning another corner. The same routine begins again … 7.14pm GMT 87 min: Okaka shows lovely feet as he turns away from Keane and slams a ball low and hard at goal that Pickford does well to get down to. He’s lively all right. Watford are well on top and fancy tucking this game in and putting it to bed. 7.13pm GMT 86 min: “I suspect that in Illinois they don’t get transmissions of the Europa League, otherwise its resident JR would have a strong contender for his half-time list of awful-performances-by-supposedly-competent-Premier-League-teams,” writes Charles Antaki. “But he can surely see Arsenal’s usual away matches?” 7.12pm GMT 85 min: Watford have taken better care of the ball in midfield in this second half. They’ve still given it away at times but just not as much as Everton have. 7.10pm GMT 83 min: Allardyce hooks Sigurdsson and Rooney. They’re replaced by Calvert-Lewin and Bolasie. Expect the ball to be played in behind that Watford defence for those two pace-merchants to run on to. 7.09pm GMT 81 min: Before the goal Watford had two chances. Pickford’s hashed clearance gave Femenia a chance to slam a right-footed shot at goal, which Pickford saved smartly and then Janmaat tested the keeper with a low right-footed effort from the edge of the box – so they were building up to something. 7.07pm GMT At last! A goal! Everton give the ball away in a deep area. Okaka picks up possession and races into the box. He cuts the ball back to Deeney, who takes a smart touch out of his body, spins and hammers the ball into the top right corner from 10 yards with his right foot. A brilliant striker’s finish. 7.04pm GMT 77 min: Femenia curls a cross into the near post and Everton clear. Doucoure rushes on to the loose ball but his shot is walloped well over. 7.03pm GMT 76 min: Everton give the ball away. Watford give the ball away. Everton give the ball away. You get the picture. 7.02pm GMT 74 min: Deeney holds off Keane and allows Doucoure the chance to send the ball out to the left. He races back into the box and plays a one-two with Okaka but the striker’s ball across the box is hurried and whistles harmlessly out of play. Another promising moment goes begging. 7.00pm GMT 72 min: I reckon a good manager could make these Everton players perform much better than this. Sigurdsson has barely had a kick. Walcott has been peripheral. 6.58pm GMT 70 min: Watford have resorted to pumping crosses into the box in the hope of finding Okaka or Deeney. So far they’ve slung the meat anywhere but their respective plates. It’s still a dog’s dinner this. 6.55pm GMT 68 min: Tosun leaps in the box and knocks a header down to Rooney on the edge of the area. The ball bounces awkwardly in front of him, though, and he has to try and jump over it and can’t keep it down. That was tough. Tosun has linked play up nicely here. he doesn’t look like scoring but with him up front the ball is sticking in a way it just doesn’t when Niasse leads the line. 6.53pm GMT 65 min: Okaka causes Williams a moment of mild panic after breathing down his neck after a ball was arrowed in behind the Everton defence but Pickford is alert to the danger and races out to clear. The Watford fans have increased the volume. Do they know something we don’t? Is this actually a good match? Or are they just keeping warm? 6.51pm GMT 63 min: “Half-time’s Adam Hirst is absolutely right – Watford-Everton was a classic 80s fixture,” writes Mac Millings. “In fact, it came up in the latest episode of the mighty Nessun Dorma podcast, in which World’s Leading Watford Expert, Lionel Birnie, tells us all about Graham Taylor’s underappreciated Hornets, and I reveal my disturbing obsession with John Barnes.” I too am obsessed with John Barnes Mac, and I’ll raise you a Nessum Dorma podcast plug with this On Second Thoughts one. There’s nothing else going on so get stuck in to one or both of these links readers. Related: On Second Thoughts … John Barnes | Gregg Bakowski 6.49pm GMT 60 min: Deulofeu cannot continue. He tries to limp on but replays show that he jarred his ankle as he landed and he’s helped off down the tunnel and replaced by Carillo. That’s a shame. As erratic as he can be he was Watford’s most effervescent player today. Not that there was much competition. 6.47pm GMT 58 min: Tosun shoulder charges Deulofeu into next week. The Spaniard’s body shudders like a crash test dummy and he’s left nursing an ankle injury after falling awkwardly. I might add that Tosun hurried his cross and it was cleared. Had he shown a little more composure he might have picked out Davies. 6.44pm GMT 56 min: Both Allardyce and Gracia decide enough is enough. For Watford, Femenia is on for Richarlison and Okaka is on for Pereyra, both of whom have done the square root of sod all. For Everton, Cenk Tosun replaces Niasse. 6.42pm GMT 54 min: Deeney heads at goal. It was never going in but it was another chance and it forced Pickford into a save. This has warmed up from freezing cold to tepid. 6.41pm GMT 51 min: Capoue catches Walcott late in the middle of the park and the referee Michael Oliver pens his name into the book. 6.39pm GMT 50 min: Walcott is dragged to the ground by Holebas on the halfway line. Williams hoofs the free-kick forwards. Walcott picks up the knockdown and lays the ball off for Gueye, who curls it in towards Keane. He should head into the far corner because it’s a presentable chance but he tries to cushion it for Davies but his header is overcooked and Davies can’t stretch to divert it on goal. 6.36pm GMT 48 min: “Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve never seen Gerard Deulofeu hit a cross high than a man’s waist,” writes Kelvin. “Not at Everton, Barcelona, Milan or Watford. I would have thought crossing the ball for the striker to head in would be a requirement for a winger.” Crossing is so passé these days Kelvin. It’s all about cutting inside. Still, I miss the old fashioned winger. How Deeney would love to see a latterday Pat Nevin out on the right wing. 6.34pm GMT 46 min: No side manages to string more than two passes together but then Richarlison pounces on a loose ball and sends Deeney racing down the inside-left channel, where he wins a corner. Deulofeu plays a flat corner in towards Prodl, who jumps but cannot get over the ball. In fact, Rooney was in close attention and did well to prevent Prodl getting into a better position. That was almost a moment of excitement. Almost. 6.32pm GMT 45 min: Peep! Come on then, let’s get it out of the way. 6.31pm GMT “By my estimation the worst game of the season so far has been West Brom v Everton on Boxing Day,” writes JR in Illinois. “In my unscientific judgment the majority of embarrassingly terrible performances this season have been perpetrated by three teams: West Brom, West Ham, and Everton. (Everton get bonus points for some of their disgusting Europa League efforts).” Can anyone mine anything more disgusting from this season’s efforts than that Boxing Day stinker? Stoke 0-0 Watford from 31 January was a dirge-fest. 6.26pm GMT In the absence of anything happening here, you can read about stuff that did happen in today’s other Premier League games in these match reports: Liverpool 4-1 West Ham Related: Mohamed Salah strike helps Liverpool to resounding win over West Ham Related: Manolo Gabbiadini gives Saints late draw to extend Burnley’s winless run Related: Steve Mounié and Huddersfield push Alan Pardew to brink at West Brom Related: Dwight Gayle’s Newcastle double cancelled out by late Bournemouth rally Related: Glenn Murray scores twice to help buoyant Brighton down Swansea Related: Jack Butland’s own-goal blunder costs Stoke victory at Leicester 6.19pm GMT “I remember Everton and Watford as being a league fixture that guaranteed goals back in the 80s, doing the East Fife Forfar scoreline,” writes Adam Hirst. “What’s happened to them? Come on lads, wake up. We need at least eight second half.” 6.18pm GMT And that was a half of football. I’m getting a tea. If only there was something stronger at Guardian Towers. 6.17pm GMT 45 min: Pickford bends a beautiful left-footed pass into the channel for Niasse to run on to. That’s about the best pass this half. It leads to nothing. This half has been a whole load of nothing. And there’ll be one minute added on to it. 6.15pm GMT 43 min: I thought the first half between Stoke and Leicester was about as bad as it has been this season. But Shaqiri rescued it. This game’s Shaqiri needs to step up to salvage this dog’s dinner of a half. 6.13pm GMT 41 min: Javi Gracia’s assistant manager, Jesus Casas, has taken Duncan Ferguson to task about something he didn’t like in the Everton technical area. Someone needs to have word. Doesn’t he know who he’s messing with? The man eats burglars for breakfast. 6.11pm GMT 39 min: But the corner drops straight into Pickford’s hands. 6.10pm GMT 38 min: Niasse is back up and the game is back under way, as much as you could ever say this match has been under way. Deulofeu wins a corner after some funky footwork on the right. Deeney licks his lips. 6.08pm GMT 35 min: Thump! Thud! The Everton wall stands tall after Deulofeu’s dipping effort doesn’t ever go high enough to make the dip effective. Everton break and Holebas and Niasse collide, leaving the Everton striker nursing a sore noggin. Thankfully, it looks like it’s nothing too serious. 6.06pm GMT 34 min: Watford win a free-kick after Gueye cuts down Richarlison on the edge of the box. If he hadn’t caught the Watford player then Williams would have. Deulofeu stands over it. 6.05pm GMT 31 min: Deulofeu’s feather-toed touch gives Capoue a chance to have a crack from 20 yards. He doesn’t turn down said chance but his shot is sent whistling well over the bar. 6.03pm GMT 30 min: Deulofeu looks the most likely game-changer for Watford. He ghosts past Martina and drills a low ball into the box but it’s cleared. If Deeney ever does get a sniff Deulofeu will probably be the creator. 6.01pm GMT 29 min: Rooney gives the ball away and allows Deulofeu to race down the right wing. But hang on, who’s that in the Spaniard’s slip-stream. It’s Rooney rolling back the years and catching the Watford winger up before sliding in to win back possession. That was a fine way to make up for his error. 5.59pm GMT 27 min: Keane thunders into a tackle on Doucoure and wins the ball but also catches a good chunk of the Watford midfielder’s ankle. No foul is given but replays suggest it should have been a free-kick. The disgruntled Watford fans’ jeers suggest they believe Oliver could have given a free-kick and at least a booking. 5.57pm GMT 25 min: Martina is all over the back of Deulofeu and Watford win a free-kick deep in their own half. It’s walloped forwards and then cleared. 5.55pm GMT 24 min: Walcott is sent racing down the right by a neat flick from Niasse. The winger attempts to cut the ball back to the penalty spot but Capoue slides in to block. That’s good defending and decent link-up play from Everton. 5.53pm GMT 23 min: Doing anything exciting tonight? 5.53pm GMT 21 min: Kenny introduces a sharp scouse knee to Richarlison’s backside. And that’s the most entertaining thing that has happened in the past few minutes. Yes, this can – and must – get better. 5.51pm GMT 18 min: A neat clip to the back post by Rooney gets Sigurdsson involved. He spins sharply in the box and lofts the ball back the other way and Watford clear for a corner. Sigurdsson swings a deep one in but Watford clear. The wind is playing a part here. Every high ball looks to be moving curiously in the air and is hard for the players to read. 5.47pm GMT 15 min: Deulofeu clips a ball to the back post after a neat one-two on the right. Pereyra picks the ball up and tries to shimmy his way into the box but Kenny stands his ground and the ball squirts out for a goal-kick. 5.46pm GMT 13 min: It’s turned into more of an even battle. Everton are looking more lively in midfield with Rooney and Gueye snapping into tackles and getting Everton on the front foot. Sigurdsson has a sight of goal after Davies lays the ball back to him, but he’s under pressure and his shot ends up looking sorry for itself as it dribbles through to Karnezis. 5.43pm GMT 10 min: Davies nicks possession in midfield and releases Niasse on the right. The striker gives Janmaat a look at the ball on the edge of the box before zipping away to the byline and slamming a lo ball into the box that Karnezis parries unconvincingly. Alardyce will be happy with that. Davies played his part as a high-up enforcer and then showed he can create too. 5.41pm GMT 9 min: Niasse catches Prodl with his right arm as he leaps into a challenge. I’m not sure he meant it but it has left Prodl nursing a sore snout. 5.39pm GMT 7 min: Everton haven’t really got going. Watford are pressing them out of possession at every opportunity and Allardyce is chewing his gum in a manner that suggests he’s not happy with what he’s seen so far. 5.37pm GMT 5 min: Deulofeu gives Everton a reminder of his trickery. He gathers the ball on the right and races towards the Everton penalty area before turning Keane inside out with some fleet-footed wizardry and trying to release Richarlison on the inside-right channel when he perhaps could have had a shot on goal himself. Everton clear for a corner that leads to nothing. 5.35pm GMT 2 min: Prodl mishits a backpass to Karnezis and then fouls Walcott to deny the Everton winger the chance to get a run on the ball. That’s a dreadful mistake. Sigurdsson curls a delightful ball into the box, drawing Karnezis off his line and almost finding Martina on the back post. 5.32pm GMT 1 min: Peep! We’re off. Watford look a little more comfortable on the ball in the opening minute, playing it around patiently at the back and eschewing the few chances they have to hoist it high up to Troy Deeney. 5.29pm GMT It looks like Everton are lining up with Rooney playing deeper than Davies, who will be required to use his brilliant engine to get up in support of Niasse. Watford are playing with a flat back four instead of three at the back. 5.26pm GMT Z-Cars whistles through the chill Hertfordshire air, which means the teams are out and it’s almost time for football! Here’s hoping for a good one. 5.20pm GMT Sam Allardyce speaks: “We’ll try to repeat the performances we show at home. At home we’re very good at winning football matches but away we struggle,” he says. On the subject of Ashley Williams replacing the injured Eliaquim Mangala, he smears the Wales centre-back with faint praise. “You have to go with what you’ve got. The lads who start today’s game finished the match against Crystal Palace. I’m looking for the team to go out and make sure they’re resilient.” 5.14pm GMT Will Gerard Deulofeu come back to haunt Everton? When he’s in this groove he’s an incredibly exciting footballer. His career is a curious one. Not deemed good enough for Everton. Good enough for Milan but seemingly too expensive. Not good enough for Barça but bought back from Everton at a loss anyway. Now on loan at Watford. I’ll put it down to modern football just being bonkers. 5.10pm GMT There are goals in this Everton team if the football flows. Wayne Rooney has 10 in the league, scored at around one every 160 minutes, and Oumar Niasse has seven and with a goal every 120 minutes or so, which is the fourth-best strike rate after Mo Salah, Harry Kane and Sergio Agüero. Yup. They also have Theo Walcott, and who knows what he might do? Not even he knows. The industry of Tom Davies and Idrissa Gueye in midfield is key to giving the team balance because Rooney, Sigurdsson, Niasse and Walcott in the starting XI away from home is about as forward-thinking as an Allardyce team can get. 5.03pm GMT I forgot to mention that this is the Z-Cars derby. Both teams run out to the theme tune of the long-running police TV show from the 60s and 70s. It was the favourite TV series of Harry Catterick, who managed Everton between 1961 and 1973, which may be why it was adopted at Goodison Park. And rumour has it that Bill McGarry, who managed Watford between 1963 and 1964, liked nothing better than to tune into the show and suggested the theme be used when the team runs out. But if any of this is tosh and you have another reason for its use, please do let me know. 4.31pm GMT Watford: Karnezis, Janmaat, Prodl, Mariappa, Holebas, Pereyra, Doucoure, Capoue, Deulofeu, Deeney, Richarlison. Subs: Gomes, Britos, Gray, Femenia, Zeegelaar, Carrillo, Okaka. Everton: Pickford, Kenny, Keane, Williams, Martina, Davies, Gueye, Rooney, Walcott, Niasse, Sigurdsson. Subs: Schneiderlin, Bolasie, Tosun, Calvert-Lewin, Holgate, Robles, Garbutt. 12.31am GMT Evening. Marco Silva could have been in Everton’s dugout today. He could have been in Watford’s. As it happens, he’s wherever sacked Portuguese Premier League managers go in February. Watford’s slump from fifth to a general position of flirting with relegation has largely been attributed to the destabilising affect of Everton’s approach for the former Watford manager. Under his replacement, Javi Gracia, they have lost one league match, drawn one and won one (emphatically, against Chelsea). Watford are decent at home – a fact Gracia is aware of – and he wants his team to take maximum points from the two home games against Everton and West Brom and put a bit of breathing space between his side and the murky business in the bottom half of the table. “For me, the next two games are important because there are no differences between many teams,” he said. “In 11 matches we need to have a better performance and play as well as possible because we need the points. I don’t want to feel after three, four or five matches that the situation is more complicated.” Continue reading......read full article
