GIVEN their recent slump, this was a point gained for Spurs as they were forced to play the final 40 minutes with 10 men, after defender Davinson Sanchez saw red.
Christian Kabasele headed Watford in front after 13 minutes, before Son Hueng-min equalised 12 minutes later, and only a post denied Abdoulaye Doucoure the chance to give the Hornets their first Premier League win over Spurs in nine attempts.
After an even start, Tom Cleverley curled in a corner from the left, and Belgian defender Kabasele nipped in ahead of Eric Dier and then beat Harry Kane in the air to head the ball in the far top corner for his second goal of the season. Belgium 1, England 0. Let’s hope England boss Gareth Southgate wasn’t watching.
Last season Spurs had the meanest defence in the Premier League, conceding 26 goals. They had now conceded half that amount in only their 15th game.
In football terms, Spurs were in a crisis. They arrived at Vicarage Road in seventh, 16 points adrift of leaders Manchester City, and manager Mauricio Pochettino had already conceded that their title challenge was over after collecting one point from their last three games.
Spurs had already lost four league games in this campaign, as many as they did in the entirety of last season. And they couldn’t blame the Wembley effect, as they were looking to halt a run of losing three consecutive away league games – the first time that had happened under Pochettino. Tottenham’s case has not been helped by the recent loss of their best defender, Toby Alderweireld, with a hamstring injury, and a dip in from from England duo Dyer and Deli Ali, and Christian Eriksen.
The pressure on Pochettino eased when Spurs equalised. Richarlison had a decent shout for a penalty waved away after he was sandwiched between Ben Davies and Jan Vertonghen. The visitors broke quickly down the right and Christian Eriksen drilled in a low cross for Son to sweep home unmarked at the far post – his third in the league.
There was a moment of madness from Davinson Sanchez after 52 minutes when he was beaten on the wing by the pace of Richarlison. The Colombian defender floored his opponent with a forearm smash, and referee Martin Atkinson confirmed the offence with his fourth official before pulling out his red card.
That cranked up the “derby” atmosphere, and why not? With Spurs now calling Wembley their home, the clubs’ grounds are little more than 10 miles apart, and Watford Station is 10 stops along the Metropolitan Line from Wembley Park.
Doucoure might have won it for the Hornets after 63 minutes. A corner was cleared to him on the edge of the box and he crashed his effort against the post, with Hugo Lloris rooted to the spot.
There would have been a collective sigh of relief around Vicarage Road this week when Sam Allardyce was finally confirmed as the Everton manager, as that mean they got to hold on to Marco Silva.
One man surely happy to see him stay is Sir Elton John, who was at Vicarage Road to watch his beloved Watford for the first time since mid-September – and on that occasion the Hornets were thrashed 6-0 by Manchester City.
From The Sun
No comments:
Post a Comment