Watford 0 - 0 West Brom

Watford 0 - 0 West Brom

Watford and West Brom remain winless after rare Vicarage Road goalless draw


Watford's Étienne Capoue, right, in action with West Brom's Saido Berahino in the Premier League

Watford remain in search of their first win of this Premier League season despite a second impressive performance against a similarly victory-free West Brom, the vast majority of which they spent in a perpetual state of appearing about to create a wonderful chance, yet without ever once really creating one.

There were half-chances aplenty, speculative long-rangers by the dozen and countless raids down the wings during a match they dominated from the first minute until the final five, when the game became a bit ragged. But there was to be no breakthrough, and a freshly-buffed Vicarage Road witnessed its first goalless draw for over 18 months.

Watford made a single change to the team that started the creditable draw against Everton, with Odion Ighalo’s goal as a substitute in that match earning him a starting spot and Ikechi Anya dropping to left-back at the expense of José Holebas, the summer signing from Roma whose position will be further threatened by the loan arrival of Nathan Aké from Chelsea, which came too late for this game.

After their home capitulation against Manchester City Tony Pulis made three changes, bringing in Jonas Olsson, Claudio Yakob and Gareth McAuley but once again starting with both Rickie Lambert and Saido Berahino.

Watford have some lofty ambitions but they are not yet that. They could, however, profit this season if they keep being underestimated. Their dominance in the first half was near-total, West Brom having a half-chance and a couple of corners in the 27th and 28th minutes – Watford nearly scoring from the second of them – but otherwise outfought, outthought and outpassed.

Among Pulis’s puzzling decisions here was the order for all 11 of his players to cram the penalty area when they were defending set-pieces, which made them more likely to clear the ball, but infinitely less likely to keep it when they did. Watford, meanwhile, left three men in attack when the visitors had those corners and the result was a three-on-two break that ended with Allan Nyom stinging Boaz Myhill’s palms from 20 yards.

For all their dominance in midfield, with Etienne Capoue outstanding in a defensive role, Watford went in at half-time – their supporters standing to better roar their approval of the performance thus far – having created little. José Manuel Jurado speared a scissor-kick over the bar and sent a free-kick narrowly wide from 25 yards while Ighalo headed wide and shot over, but Myhill was seldom truly stretched.

A moment two minutes into the second period summed up the game thus far, as Jurado brilliantly controlled a long pass to the left wing, darted between two opponents and, from just outside the penalty area with space yawning in front of him, shot high and wide.

Having got nowhere with a front two, with an hour played Pulis went the whole hog and brought Salomon Róndon on for Craig Gardner, their record signing becoming their third active striker. Instead of a front three Berahino dropped into midfield, Róndon immediately having his side’s best chance, chasing down a long pass down the right, cutting onto his left foot and blazing over. James McClean was soon brought on for Lambert, once again reducing West Brom’s striker tally to a more reasonable level.

As the minutes continued to pass without them finding a goal, Watford appeared to realise that they would have to try a different tactic. The one they chose was taking speculative long-range shots at every available opportunity, with Deeney blasting over from 25 yards and Ighalo trying his luck on several occasions, most eye-catchingly with a 30-yard dipping volley that would have gone wide had Myhill not caught it.

Guardian