Watford 1 - 0 NewcastleWatford’s Troy Deeney pounces to put wasteful Newcastle out of FA CupHome team scorersTroy Deeney 44
Newcastle’s abject record in this competition under Mike Ashley continues, but more concerning for Steve McClaren will have been his side’s utter ineptitude in front of goal. Watford were second best here but it is they who advance to the fourth round, Troy Deeney the difference on an afternoon of severe frustration for Newcastle.
Since Ashley took control of the north-east club they have not progressed past the fourth round of the Cup in nine seasons. McClaren’s appetite to end that dreadful record was clear, but the afternoon ended with discontent among the travelling supporters who had watched their side lose a fourth successive match 1-0.
They had played reasonably well, but were gripped by paralysis whenever a sniff at goal emerged. Florian Thauvin was the subject of the fans’ ire late on, and some decided to leave before injury time had even begun‚ before the boos rang out at the final whistle. Watford were disjointed themselves, but Deeney took his chance while Newcastle squandered theirs.
McClaren only made one change to the team which lost narrowly at Arsenal, Kevin Mbabu coming in for the injured Jack Colback. Early on, the wing-backs Daryl Janmaat and Mbabu were finding space on either flank and it was Janmaat, playing on the right, who had the first opportunity of the match, found by Cheick Tioté before cutting inside and prodding the ball towards goal. Heurelho Gomes tipped over for a corner.
Watford were not yet in sync. Quique Sánchez Flores had given a first start to the 20-year-old striker Obbi Oularé, but with Odion Ighalo on the bench they struggled to find cohesion. Newcastle, in contrast, were moving well and threatening regularly. Unfortunately for McClaren, they squandered all opportunities before Deeney gave Watford the lead against the run of play.
Georginio Wijnaldum almost squeezed the ball in at the near post with an improvised flick but Gomes had read the danger, the goalkeeper often called upon during the first half. However, there would have been nothing he could have done had Ayoze Pérez hit the target after 27 minutes, Moussa Sissoko driving into the penalty area down the right and pulling the ball back with pace to the Spaniard, who could only side-foot wide from an excellent position.
Aleksandar Mitrovic then came close with a header from Pérez’s corner, as Watford toiled. Rob Elliot barely needed to do anything, the only nervous moment coming when Ben Watson’s free-kick from deep almost drifted inside the far post, but he was soon to be undone.
Mbabu forced Gomes into a smart save with a powerful drive, before Deeney’s suckerpunch. Out of nothing, the striker suddenly found himself through on goal following miscommunication in the Newcastle defence and a dreadful past from Wijnaldum. Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds, but Deeney demonstrated fine composure to round Elliot and score.
Oularé was taken off by Flores at half-time, Ikechi Anya coming on, while Fabricio Coloccini did not emerge for the second half, replaced by Jamaal Lascelles. McClaren’s decision to then replace Mbabu with Thauvin was booed by the Newcastle supporters.
Those fans have only seen their side score 19 times in the Premier League season and, despite producing some decent football, frustration was beginning to build. Mitrovic came close to getting the slightest of touches on Sissoko’s well-weighted pass across goal, with Gomes and the Watford defence scrambling.
But their lack of confidence in front of goal was evident in the 71st minute when Sissoko broke free and cut inside, only to panic and shank his shot. They did not threaten again and, when Thauvin limped to the sidelines in the closing minutes, the noise from the away end said it all.
Guardian
