An Abdoulaye Doucoure header earned Watford a valuable point against a struggling Newcastle side, though he was unable to capture all three late on as he squandered a close-range header with seconds remaining.
The result leaves Watford 9th in the Premier League table but the Hornets are only a point behind Wolves in 7th and a European adventure remains a possibility. Meanwhile, Newcastle narrowly survived a situation which could have seen them drop all three points. The Magpies currently occupy 15th spot in the table, though the gap to the relegation places is steadily shrinking due to results elsewhere.
Counter and cross – the blueprint for the Magpies
Rafael Benitez sent his side out with an explicit tactical instruction against Watford, to pepper the opposition penalty box with crosses. The Spanish tactician presumably thought Rondon had an aerial advantage against the hosts who were without defensive powerhouse Christian Kabasele.
On multiple occasions, the away side sat deep to soak up opposition pressure, then once possession was turned over Newcastle attempted to transition with pace and work the ball wide. Matt Ritchie and DeAndre Yedlin could be found marauding either flank, regularly crossing from deep in an attempt to unsettle Watford’s back four, though initially to no avail.
Watford’s patient play proves easy to cope with
Initially, the Hornets created few threatening opportunities, despite having the majority of possession. Far too often the hosts failed to break down Benitez stubborn defence by attempting to play through the centre of it. At times the midfield became incredibly congested as play was constantly squeezed inside to Deulofeu who was operating as the central striker. This predictability meant it was easy for the Magpies to keep a tight defensive shape and prevent an abundance of chances being created by the opposition.
Rondon the target
After a quiet opening to the encounter due to some loose crossing, Salomon Rondon burst into life when he towered over two Watford defenders to head past a floundering Ben Foster in goal. In the build up the hosts failed to press as aggressively as they had previously done in the game, allowing Christian Atsu to spin and bypass two markers. The winger then continued forwards with a darting run before sliding a pass out wide to Matt Ritchie, the Scottish international was then able to float a cross to Rondon at the back post who had made an intelligent run and provided a finish to match.
Newcastle’s leading scorer then had the ball in the back of the net on two further occasions, although both were correctly ruled offside, despite the first being marginal.
Issac’s lack of success inside
Issac Success failed to make a significant impression on proceedings early on and often found himself out wide with space, but running into trouble when he cut inside onto his favoured right foot. Once Watford’s record signing, Success was a more significant threat on his rare counter-attacking opportunities when presented with an abundance of space to utilise his devastating pace.
Javi Garcia substitution changes the game
With the match appearing out of Watford’s reach, Javi Gracia made an inspired double substitution that almost flipped the result on its head. Troy Deeney and Doucoure were introduced, and the pair had an instant impact.
Deeney was the focal point the hosts had been missing all afternoon, allowing Deulofeu to stretch Newcastle with width and create space for others in central areas. Doucoure provided penetration from midfield through late runs into the box, also creating better situations for Success. Though due to a combination of a lack of composure and excellent goalkeeping, the winger was unable to finish.
Instead, Doucoure stepped up and coolly similarly dispatched his initial headed effort to Rondon previously. The Frenchman was then gifted an opportunity to nod in a winning goal but was unable to find the target and complete the comeback.
Man of the Match: Salomon Rondon
On a better day the Venezuelan could have had a hat-trick but had to settle for just the single goal after having two ruled out, he was the focal point throughout proceedings for the visitors and the only player who appeared clinical enough to find the back of the net.
