An injury time Andre Gray goal meant it was defeat for Brendan Rodgers in his first game as Leicester manager as the Englishman won Watford three points for the second game running at Vicarage Road.
The scoreline was perhaps no surprise as Leicester’s last two trips to Vicarage Road have ended in the same score yet Leicester only had themselves to blame after another slow start cost them dearly. The Hornets came out the strongest and would have been happy to be back on home turf where they have only played three games from their last 12 in all competitions. It was the hosts who broke the deadlock too and it was the club captain who found himself on the scoresheet scoring his eighth goal of the season.
Leicester enjoyed a brief spell of pressure during the first half but struggled to break a dogged Watford, who for the majority of the first half had 11 men behind the ball. Rodgers was clearly frustrated on the touchline as his formation change failed to make a difference and the Hornets went into the break one goal to the good.
The Foxes bossed the second half though yet continued to struggle to level the fixture. Rodgers new side lacked a cutting edge and despite their possession and goal attempts, they rarely tested Ben Foster in the Watford goal. Watford were caught napping though on the 75th minute and just as he did against Brighton, Youri Tielemens found an inch-perfect pass which set Jamie Vardy through who made no mistake as he dispatched the ball past Foster in front of the travelling fans.
The finish was Vardy’s 99th goal in the blue of Leicester and it was the strikers’ third goal in three games against the Golden Boys – the first from open play however. Gracia and Watford were not done there though and after Wes Morgan had a chance to win for the game for the visitors, Watford capitalised on a dreadful kick from Kasper Schmeichel which fell eventually to Deeney who set Andre Gray in to slot the ball past the Dane in goal and send the Watford fans into raptures.
Just as he did against Everton at the start of February, Gray gave Watford all three points in a victory which keeps them in 8th place, just one place behind Wolves on goal difference. The defeat leaves Leicester in 11th place – a disappointing beginning to life under Brendan Rodgers.
Foxes with two faces
After conceding the first goal on Sunday, the Foxes have now conceded the first goal in 20 of their 29 fixtures this season and as a result of Deeney’s fifth-minute header, Leicester have now conceded 12 goals in the first 15 minutes of games this season – the highest in the league by three goals.
In contrast, they have won the most amount of points from losing positions this season only highlighting their tameness coming out of the changing rooms at the start of fixtures. Again at Vicarage Road, the Foxes were a much better outfit during the second half as they were in the first and this needs to be addressed by Brendan Rodgers sooner rather than later.
Determined Deeney
Captain. Leader. Legend. Is surely one thing that comes to mind when Watford fans think of Troy Deeney. He is a dream for any manager and his work rate and determination in supporting his defensive teammates whilst adding goals at the attacking end is second to none. He was a constant threat all afternoon to Leicester’s back three and had a number of tussles with Morgan and Maguire with a number of decisions perhaps not going his way.
He ran constantly and his determination is exactly what Watford needed to gift them all three points on Sunday. After opening the scoring early on after a tidy glancing header from Deulofeu’s free-kick he persevered all afternoon and assisted his strike partner Andre Gray for the winner. All in all, it was a perfect display of determination, clinicalness and heart as he continues to lead Watford to their best ever Premier League finish.
Formation change can’t help Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers decided to change the formation of his new Leicester side to a 3-4-3 as he recalled club captain Wes Morgan to the starting XI. Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira undertook wingback roles whilst Harvey Barnes started his sixth game in seven since returning from his loan spell at West Brom. Yet the formation change was clearly suffering from teething problems as Leicester struggled to break Watford down and test Ben Foster in the Watford goal.
Leicester were clearly looking to get the ball out to both wing backs during the 90 minutes and for a brief spell during the second half, they were having a lot of joy down the left-hand side yet to no avail. I would expect Rodgers to continue utilising this formation in the upcoming fixtures yet the worry must be the pace of his centre backs. Leicester played an extremely high line at Vicarage Road and their three centre backs are not exactly the quickest which could cause the problems in upcoming fixtures.
Ill-disciplined Hornets
Watford picked up five yellow cards from referee Jonathan Moss on Sunday with Mariappa, Capoue, Doucoure, Deeney and Gray all picking up bookings. The latter did receive a yellow for celebrating his late goal so maybe this should be ignored yet Gracia’s side have struggled with discipline this campaign.
Jose Holebas returned for the fixture against Leicester after suspension for 10 yellow cards this season and Gracia must address his sides temperament if they are to continue in their impressive fashion. Etienne Capoue is also one game off 10 yellow cards which will see him pick up a suspension. Luckily for Gracia, his side’s discipline didn’t cost them on Sunday yet he will want this to be eliminated for the remainder of the season.
Another advertisement for the need for VAR
Troy Deeney opened the scoring on the fifth minute yet was perhaps fortunate to pick up the goal after possibly being offside. The Watford captain headed the ball past Kasper Schmeichel and although he was given the benefit of the doubt, it should have possibly been ruled out for offside. Although you could not expect the linesman to notice this extremely tight call, it is moments like this which will assist the referee and linesmen in next years season and lead to a fairer game all around.
Man of the Match – Troy Deeney
Watford’s captain worked extremely hard all afternoon and was pivotal in the three points as he opened the scoring and assisted Gray’s winning goal.
