The four-month wait for a home league win may continue but the spirits at Vicarage Road after Tom Cleverley’s thoroughly proud performance on his debut to secure a 2-2 draw against automatic promotion-chasing Leeds United The situation is completely different. home game as interim head coach.
It was a display that oozed passion and effort throughout the first half, the best 45 minutes the Hornets have produced on home soil this season, and this was followed by a second period in which other qualities were called upon, with the home team increasingly having to fight back. He kept digging as Leeds looked for the win they needed to get back to the top.
Watford took a 2-1 lead at half-time, Vakoun Bayo volleyed them in and then the superb Crysencio Summerville responded to the Summerville equalizer with Emmanuel Dennis’ second goal, which again made a classy impact all around.
But what was so refreshing was the way the Hornets went about their business. They played with positivity, purpose and the work Cleverley and his team put in at their London Colney training ground during the international break was evident. Supported by solid organization and discipline, the Hornets tried to advance the ball down the field with the speed and order appropriate to their game.
Gone, towards the end of the Valerien Ismael era, were the slow sideways and backward passes that increasingly marred most first-half displays at home. There were times when Watford still tried to play from the back, but the tempo was quicker with a progressive intent.
There was also a sensible pragmatism in the Hornets’ work at the back. There was a desire to go more direct when necessary, while at other times they preferred to tap and reset when the game restarted.
The Hornets tried to stay positive after the half-time break but struggled to mount meaningful attacks after losing Dennis to injury just before the hour.
It was always going to be difficult to sustain the intensity of the performance throughout the 90 minutes and as the match entered the final quarter the home side began to run out of tempo.
Ultimately Leeds’ increased control of the ball was rewarded when Mateo Joseph equalized minutes after coming off the bench, with the visitors needing a fine save from Daniel Bachmann to prevent a potential goal soon after.
This was a performance that deserved to be rewarded; Although three points were elusive, it was a display that put a smile on Vicarage Road’s faces.
Cleverley made three changes to the wing that beat Birmingham City 1-0 in his first match before the international break.
While Jamal Lewis is fit to return, Francisco Sierralta and Bayo are also in the starting 11, while Ismael Kone and Giorgi Chakvetadze drop to the bench alongside James Morris after successful international breaks with Canada and Georgia respectively.
Leeds came into the game in excellent form, winning their last three games without conceding a goal and looking to extend the 13-match unbeaten run that had taken them top of the Championship at the start of the day.
Boss Daniel Farke also made three changes to the team that beat Millwall 2-0 in the last match.
Liam Cooper, Daniel James and Sam Byram were in the starting 11, with Junior Firpo relegated to the bench but Wilfried Gnonto and Ilia Gruev ruled out due to injury.
Cleverley’s decision to select three natural centre-backs led to suggestions ahead of the match that a formation change was imminent, and that is what happened as Watford adopted a 3-4-1-2 formation in possession and switched to more of a 3-man formation. -5-2 when they don’t have the ball.
The Hornets made a positive start, establishing possession and territorial dominance in the early minutes when Summerville was disturbed by Edo Kayembe in the fourth minute of the first controversial moment and pushed the Hornets’ midfielder into his chest. Referee David Webb decided that a harsh word to both players was sufficient punishment.
Ryan Andrews scored the first try from distance when a corner was cleared halfway out of the area, but goalkeeper Ilian Meslier was no more trouble than necessary.
Watford were then denied a penalty when Ethan Ampadu took Andrews’ low shot from the right with Yaser Asprilla’s foot instead of the ball, but Webb quickly turned down the appeal.
Leeds had offered little going forward in the early exchanges, but Bachmann was forced to make a good save in the 16th away, diving sharply to the left to clear a right-footed curler away from Summerville after the Dutchman had tackled from the left. area.
Nothing much happened in terms of creating chances over the next ten minutes but the Hornets continued to look good. They were still trying to attack from the back when the time came, but as the ball was moved faster and more decisively, passes went backwards and sideways, there was always the idea of going forward.
And in the 31st minute, Watford’s positivity got the reward it deserved.
Kayembe made excellent pressure in his own half and passed the ball to Asprilla on the left side of the pitch before spreading the ball left. He passed the ball back to Dennis, whose first shot saved Meslier with a good save but he could only parry the ball to the left and Bayo kept his eye on the ball and volleyed hard over the roof. We brought the net to 1-0.
That lead could easily have been doubled when Meslier played the ball short to Ampadu outside the area, but the Welsh international was caught out by Asprilla and slid to put Dennis in goal, but Joe Rodon made a good slip. he challenged as he tried to pull the trigger.
But Watford’s lead lasted just six minutes thanks to a moment of brilliance from a young Dutchman following a stroke of good fortune.
Leeds built up the left wing before Georginio Rutter played the ball to Summerville on the left side of the pitch. He was in an offside position when he received the ball out of bounds, but he then slid the ball into the penalty area with his right foot and then delivered a stunning strike with a quick and powerful right foot, giving Bachmann no chance as the ball passed him. We went to the far corner and brought the score to 1-1.
It was a failure, but there was no letting up on the Hornets’ positive intent; Next up was Asprilla to try his luck with a low shot that deflected over Rodon and went wide of the wrong-footed Meslier’s near post.
Another chance came from the resulting corner when Meslier managed to pull the ball out of the air as Asprilla’s shot was met with a header from Ryan Porteous.
But that positivity had to be rewarded again – and somehow two minutes before the break.
Kayembe was involved again, slotting the ball to the right as Dennis weighed his options as he cut in and teased Cooper, who curled a superb left-foot shot beyond Meslier to make it 2-1.
The Hornets navigated three minutes of injury time safely before the half-time whistle roared and were greeted with a well-deserved standing ovation as Cleverley’s men took the lead into the break for the second successive game.
Ben Hamer trained intensively during this break, and although Bachmann reemerged in the second half, the two goalkeepers had a long chat while the Hornets No. 1 player stretched his knee.
Watford seized the first opportunity of the second period when Asprilla played in the corner from the right and Pollock headed towards the near post.
But the visitors went even closer in the 51st minute when Archie Gray’s in-field pass found Byram to play the ball inside Andrews and release Summerville, but the striker opted to go it alone and fired home at the near post. Which Bachmann pushed behind him.
Leeds had another opportunity when a free kick was played from the right deep at the back post, Rodon headed back towards goal and Byram’s close range header was cleared off the line by Sierralta, but at this stage the flag was raised for offside. .
The Hornets then suffered a blow when Dennis was sidelined due to injury. He was replaced by Kone in the 58th minute and the home side switched to more of a 3-4-3 formation, with the substitute initially taking on the central striker role.
Farke made his first change five minutes later when Firpo replaced Cooper, just after Asprilla from the left sent an inviting corner to Kayembe at the far post, but his volley went high into the air rather than towards the goal. Although the home team kept the ball alive, there was no result in the end.
The visitors’ next opener came three minutes later, as Summerville found James on the right and the Welshman cut inside and headed home Bachmann’s low shot.
The guest team made their second change in the 74th minute and Joel Piroe came into the game instead of Rutter, but at this stage they started to enjoy the ball more and continued their search for a draw.
Watford needed some fresh energy and Cleverley looked to inject some with the remaining ten minutes of normal time, bringing on Tom Ince for Asprilla.
The home side were still ahead and Farke rolled the dice again in the 84th minute, bringing on Jadon Anthony and Joseph for Byram and Glen Kamara.
The effect was almost instantaneous.
Summerville was once again heavily involved and showed Andrews a clean pair of heels before flicking the ball into the area where Joseph’s initial effort was blocked by Porteous and flicked the ball into the air. Lewis moved in to clear the ball but was unlucky to see the ball hit the substitute and pass past Bachmann to make it 2-2.
The Hornets held on and a few minutes later another new player almost put his side ahead, but with a superb save from Bachmann.
The path to opportunity was the same as before; Summerville raced away from Andrews and fired a shot which was parried by the Hornets goalkeeper, but the rebound was broken in for Anthony to keep the ball perfectly square as his goalbound shot was repelled by Bachmann’s legs.
Mileta Rajovic replaced Bayo and the fourth referee signaled five minutes of extra time, while the home side prepared to take the throw-in when Porteous fell to the ground clutching his leg, causing tempers to flare. However, order was restored in a short time.
As it turned out, seven minutes of stoppage time were played, but Watford managed to secure the point their efforts deserved at least, from a performance that rightly received the applause given by the home faithful at full-time.
Watford: Bachmann; Pollock, Sierralta, Porteous; Andrews, Kayembe, Dele-Bashiru, Lewis; Asprilla (Thin 80); Dennis (Kone 58), Bayo (Rajovic 89). Unused substitutes: Hamer, Livermore, Chakvetadze, Martins, Morris, Grieves.
Leeds United: Meslier; Gray, Rodon, Cooper (Firpo 63), Byram; Ampadu, Kamara; James, Rutter (Piroe 74), Summerville; Bamford. Unused subscribers: Darlow, Cresswell, Anthony, Shackleton, Gelhardt, Joseph, Crew.javascript:void(0) Reservations: None.
Referee: David Webb.