Watford 1-0 Stoke City: Cracks Starting To Show For The Potters
Credit: Rob Atherton / shutterstock.com
It was a game decided by offside goals at Vicarage Road this weekend, one rightfully ruled out for the visitors and one gifted to the hosts. It is Christmas after all.
Stoke were surprise early challengers at the top end of the table, with new signing Sorba Thomas hitting the ground running and the ever-reliable Viktor Johansson between the sticks, they made themselves tricky to beat and devastating on the break. That was until recently. The wheels have fallen off and they now find themselves in 8th place, two points from the play-offs and with two wins and six losses from their last eight games. Before the season started they would’ve bitten your hand off to be where they are by Christmas, but after their scintillating form to open the campaign it’s hard not to feel a little bit disappointed with how the last few weeks have transpired. The latest in their run of defeats came this weekend at Watford, and the Potters will certainly feel hard done by.
Watford have recovered from their tricky start to the season and started picking up points and making their way up the table as of late. Four wins in their last ten is solid, if unremarkable, but their real strength has come in being hard to beat. Of the other six games in that run, five have been draws and they were defeated just once. A point is a point, and it’s always better than losing, the ability to grind out draws and win from behind is what’s separated them from Stoke as of late. They beat Derby and Norwich 3-2 from 2-0 and 2-1 down respectively and scored a 97th minute equaliser to claim a point against Sheffield Wednesday. This Watford side just don’t give up, and in a league this close every point is vital in the hunt for a play-off spot.
The first-half passed both teams by with little of note happening at either end, but in the second period the game really came to life. It was as if both teams woke up and realised they were in a play-off fight. With a lot of sides around them dropping points, this was a great chance for either one of them to stake their claim and edge closer to that top six.
Stoke thought they had the lead as half-time substitute Sam Gallagher rose well to head a cross from the right down into the bottom corner. The linesman correctly flagged, however, as he had strayed offside. A disappointing one for the Potters’ striker, the defender couldn’t get near him anyway and if he had timed his run slightly better he would’ve put his side a goal ahead on the road and changed the course of the game.
Watford were next to create a great chance, the ball being cut back from the byline to Tom Ince just inside the area. The experienced midfielder has been deadly on his left foot in the Championship for over a decade now, but he was denied this time by a great stretching save from Johansson. The Sweden international has been making a case for a few years now that he is the best goalkeeper at this level, and it’s saves like this that really show his quality. If Stoke don’t get promoted, could he be on a few top sides’ wish lists in summer?
Johansson was called into action again as eventual goalscorer Luca Kjerrumgaard picked the pocket of Bosun Lawal in midfield and fired off a shot from range. His effort was powerful but lacked direction, flying straight at the ‘keeper and allowing him to tip it over the bar. Another warning shot from Watford.
Stoke’s best chance of the game came soon after, following a corner. Watford goalie Egil Selvik had come to punch the ball and found himself stranded with the goal gaping. It dropped for Thomas on the edge of the area, who got everything right with his volleyed effort but it sailed just wide of the post. The technique to keep that ball down and get it over a crowded box and back down was superb, but yet again the direction was lacking and the score remained 0-0.
On balance of play, Watford had the better of the chances and should have put the game to bed. If it wasn’t for some heroics from Stoke’s big Swede in goal and a bit of last-ditch defending then the hosts could’ve easily made off with a two or three goal victory. The fact is though, they didn’t. The winning goal came with 15 minutes to play as the Hornets’ star-man Imran Louza lined up a free-kick on the left-hand side. He bent an excellent ball into the box that was met by the head of his midfield partner Hector Kyprianou. The Cypriot flicked his header on towards the far post and perfectly into the path of an onrushing Luca Kjerrumgaard for him to tap home. The striker is now up to seven for the season and is really starting to find his feet in English football after moving from his native Denmark in the summer. On a second look, the goal is offside. It’s tight, there are only a couple of inches in it, but he’s off. The linesman didn’t see it, or he didn’t see the touch from Kyprianou, so the goal stands, and Watford claim a vital three points at home.
Losing to a goal like that is always a tough pill to swallow, but Watford were worthy winners. For Stoke fans, yet another defeat sees them slip out of the play-offs for Christmas Day. They shouldn’t be too disheartened, this is clearly a talented squad with the ability to challenge right at the top and Mark Robins is an excellent manager at this level. A couple of fresh faces in January could be all the Potters need to restart their promotion push and get themselves battling with the big boy again.
The Hornets will be buzzing with their form since the return of Javi Gracia. From relegation threatened to now just three points from the top six, the league being so tight means anyone who puts a decent run together can find themselves challenging for promotion almost by accident. If they can turn a few of their draws into wins, it could be a season to remember down at Vicarage Road.
Both these former Premier League sides are looking for a long-awaited return to the big time. With some of the heavily-backed sides in the division faltering and nobody able to string a serious play-off charge together, could this be the year we see a return to top-flight action for Watford or Stoke?