Watford 1-2 Man United

Watford 1-2 Man Utd

Home team scorers
Troy Deeney 87 Pen

Away team scorers
Memphis Depay 11
Troy Deeney 90 o.g.



United edged past resilient Watford with a last-minute winner at Vicarage Road.

No Wayne Rooney, no Anthony Martial, no problem. Deprived of their two leading forwards, Manchester United willed themselves to a 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road thanks to the a moment of late drama.

It had seemed that United were going to regret their profligate finishing when Troy Deeney hauled Watford level with a penalty after Marcos Rojo’s needless foul on Odion Ighalo. They had missed several chances after Memphis Depay’s early goal and it would have been a frustrating afternoon for Louis van Gaal if his side had not roused themselves for a desperate assault on the Watford goal in stoppage time, Bastian Schweinsteiger turning a loose ball goalwards and Deeney bundling it over the line. It will go down as an own goal.

The fear for United before kick-off was that Van Gaal’s thinking outside the box would reduce their threat inside Watford’s. With his attack depleted by Rooney’s illness and Martial’s ankle injury, Van Gaal had to improvise and United’s dilemma was exacerbated by the absence of their normal emergency option in times of crisis, Marouane Fellaini, who was out with a calf injury.

At first glance Van Gaal resembled a chef who had been asked to provide a roast dinner, only to find that there was no meat in the fridge, yet United’s manager was invigorated by the challenge of solving the tactical puzzle and instead it was Watford who looked muddled and confused as they struggled to come to terms with the visitors’ fluid formation during an

awkward first half for Quique Sánchez Flores’s side. Although Depay was expected to play as a False Nine, United’s front three alternated positions cleverly. Sometimes Depay was on the left, sometimes he was through the middle. Sometimes Juan Mata moved inside from the right and assumed a central role, sometimes it was Jesse Lingard, and if it was difficult to keep track of United’s movement from the stands, imagine how tough it was for Watford’s defenders.

The early signs had been less than promising for United when Ashley Young charged forward from right-back and sent a cross into the Watford area, apparently forgetting that he was playing in a side that had lined up without an orthodox striker in the middle. The ball sailed behind for a goal-kick and the thought struck that United would surely need to be subtler if they were going to penetrate Watford’s stingy defence.

Yet United continued to explore down that flank and their counter-intuitive approach brought them the opening goal in the 11th minute. Ander Herrera’s clipped, bending cross reached Depay and he punished Watford’s woeful marking by cushioning a firm volley past the helpless Heurelho Gomes for his first goal since the win over Sunderland on 26 September. Van Gaal got the response he wanted from Depay, who could later be seen driving inside from the left and forcing Gomes to tip a stinging shot past his near post.

United dominated midfield, where the impressive duo of Morgan Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger played with absolute focus despite their involvement in the friendly between France and Germany that was overshadowed by last Friday’s terror attacks in Paris, but their lack of ruthlessness almost cost them. Schneiderlin whistled a volley over from close range and Lingard was twice denied by Gomes when he was through on goal.

Watford began the game nervously, their early shakiness evident in the shanked clearance from Allan Nyom that looped inches over his own crossbar, and they were let down by too many loose touches and passes in the opening exchanges. They were stiff, edgy and unsure of themselves on the ball. Watford are a cautious side who are happy to wait for their opponents to make the first move, but there was an opportunity for them to take the game to United from the first whistle. They realised that belatedly. Ighalo wasted Watford’s only threatening moment of the first half when he skewed a shot wide from a tight angle, but they improved after the break and De Gea preserved United’s lead with two outstanding saves, the first from Deeney’s thunderous drive, the second from Almen Abdi’s prod. Ighalo also had an effort blocked by Rojo, who replaced the injured Herrera during the first half.

The final 20 minutes became a battle for United, Deeney blasting another shot straight at De Gea, and it looked like one goal was going to be enough until Rojo hauled down Ighalo and Deeney thumped his penalty past De Gea. Yet United pushed forward again and when Lingard’s shot was saved by Gomes, Schweinsteiger squeezed the ball in off Deeney.

Guardian