A decent draw v Watford? Report by Simon Mack!

Watford 1 Leicester City 1

Saturday 20^th June 2020

Vicarage Road

Ben Chilwell thought he’d snatched a late late winner in this nip and tuck game with a 90^th minute wonder strike but it wasn’t to be as the hornets snatched a 93rd minute equaliser to deny the foxes all 3 points.

The players paid their respects to those that have lost their lives during the pandemic with a minutes silence and took the knee to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and with NHS and black Lives Matter adorned shirts the season recommenced after an enforced break for everyone’s safety of the like none of us could have ever dreamed would happen.

Whilst the gulf between the sides in terms of points stood at 26 and in terms of league places the foxes were in 3^rd 14 places above their hosts former city boss Nigel Pearson along with his old mate Craig Shakespeare have instilled some new found belief in the hornets and whilst both sides shook off the rustiness of lockdown this was a largely even in chances game with both sides having opportunities to break the deadlock at an empty Vicarage Road.

Brendan Rodgers selected a familiar side for city’s return to action with James Justin coming in at right back for the out for the season Ricardo and Marc Albrighton played wide right in place of Ayonze Perez who is out with a knock.

Leicester City’s legendary frontman Jamie Vardy was on the hunt for his 100^th Premier League goal and it looked like that might just happen as he found himself in space in the box early on and his ferocious strike fizzed just wide right of the upright.

Caglar Soyunchu went close with a back post header he rued not finding the target with and Troy Deeney, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Ismaila Sarr all going close Kasper Schmeichel was in scintillating form that defied the enforced absence keeping the scores at parity when the deadlock looked sure to be broken.

But going into the last 15 minutes rather that fizzling out as weary legs tired this game ramped up into life and as both managers rotated their on field pack with the likes of Demari Gray, Hamza Choudhury and Kelechi Iheanacho coming from the bench to inject a winning formula Marc Albrighton and James Maddison may have thought they’d snatched it after some sublime build up work from sub Gray wide left found the creative midfielders around the box with clear sights of goal but it wasn’t to be as Albrighton struck the inside of the post and Ben Foster between the hornets posts turned Maddison’s cross goal strike nimbly around the post and behind.

So it was left to Chilwell to run onto another superb Demari Gray cross field pass and he took a couple of strides set himself an thundered home a strike from 30 yards that left the TV commentators jaws on the floor in awe. Post-match the full back said that his manager had been encouraging him to shoot more and they much have both thought it had paid off handsomely until just 3 minutes later whilst defending a Watford raid into the city box Wilf Ndidi conceded a corner and the resulting ball into the box took a deflection into defender Craig Dawson’s path and his low bicycle style kick could only be pushed into the net by a desperate Schmeichel.

With the final score line even the foxes had afforded themselves plenty of decent chances throughout the match and enjoyed nearly 70% of the possession Watford had been creative in what they had done and in the absence of that competitive sharpness in front of goal mixed with some superb keeping between both posts the ‘meat’ of this match was saved for the end and honours even was on balance no travesty.

Former city gaffer Nigel Pearson warmly hugged Brendan Rodgers along with Jamie Vardy and numerous city players and staff in a non-socially distanced manner that bore truth to his fondness for our club and despite feeling a little robbed by the late equaliser apart from against the foxes I hope Pearson and Shakespeare work their magic again and get their Watford charges to safety.

Post lockdown player watch:

Schmeichel: Looked right back to full sharpness baring truth to the consummate and dedicated professional he has always been between the city posts.

Justin: Deputised admirably for the absent Ricardo and worked tirelessly. Looked fit and ready.

Evans: Not as at the focal point of this one as he has been before but did nothing wrong and continued to bring that vital experience to the heart of the foxes defence.

Soyunchu: Has spent his lockdown time cultivating those long locks and was unlucky not to break the deadlock with his back post point black header going just wide.

Chilwell: Wonder goal and very good shift. MOTM for many of the pundits and THAT strike was breath-taking.

Ndidi: Was just tiptoeing back into the side pre lockdown and the break has given his knee time to fully heal without game pressure.

Maddison: Looked a little rusty from set pieces but flashes of brilliance were there and a game or two more will see him back to his sublime best.

Tielemans: For me the one looking a little off pace in this one and that usual smiley bubbly persona seemed absent too.

Barnes: Not quite bursting down the left and as high energy as we might recall but these are not normal times and he might need a couple more games to shake the break off.

Albrighton: In the absence of Perez I thought he was the ever passionate ever versatile and committed midfielder we love. So unlucky to hit the inside of the post and not score.

Vardy: Was caught offside a lot early on until they adjusted things and looked like another who’ll need a game or two to get that pencil fully sharpened.

Gray: What a cameo from the bench. Looked fit, sharp and beautifully mischievous as soon as he took the field. Sublime work to set up Albrighton, Maddison and then the goal from Chilwell and it just leaves us wondering over and over why when he gets a start in matches he can’t recreate his at times sensational substitute appearances.