Watford 3-2 Everton: Premier League – as it happened via The Guardian
Stefano Okaka scored twice on his home debut as Watford came from behind to deservedly beat Everton in an eventful game
2.50pm GMT
Match report, get your match report.
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Watford and Stefano Okaka rally and hold off Everton and Romelu Lukaku
2.23pm GMT
That’s it! A deserved win for Watford, despite a fierce late assault from Everton. Stefano Okaka scored twice, the first an exquisite effort, and Watford move up to seventh in the table. Thanks for your company, a match report will appear here shortly. Bye!
2.20pm GMT
90+2 min Watford’s final change: Christian Kabasele replaces Juan Zuniga.
2.18pm GMT
90 min Deulofeu has a goal disallowed, I think because Everton took their free-kick too quickly. Meanwhile, replays shows that Britos put his hands all over Valencia in the area a couple of minutes ago; that could easily have been a penalty.
2.17pm GMT
89 min Watford are a bag of nerves. Lukaku escapes Prodl on the left of the box and drills a low cross-shot that goes through the hands of Gomes and right across the face of goal. It would have been an open goal had anybody been following up.
2.15pm GMT
88 min Lukaku sizes up his hat-trick from 25 yards … and chokes a miserable effort straight through to Gomes.
2.15pm GMT
Everton have a sniff. A corner was half cleared to Lennon, who curled a good ball in from the left to find Lukaku. He was in a criminal amount of space on the six-yard line and headed firmly into the corner.
2.11pm GMT
83 min Ronald Koeman adjusts the deckchairs on the Titanic, bringing on Aaron Lennon for Leighton Baines. Seconds later, Deulofeu’s dangerous near-post cross towards Lukaku takes a touch off a defender and goes just wide of the far post. It doesn’t matter as Lukaku was offside.
2.09pm GMT
82 min The tireless Holebas skips over a half-arsed tackle from Williams and bursts into the box before going down under challenge from Coleman. It looked fair enough, just shoulder to shoulder, and Anthony Taylor doesn’t give a penalty.
2.08pm GMT
81 min Another Watford change: Ben Watson replaces the excellent Okaka, who scored his first goals for Watford to set up probable victory.
2.07pm GMT
79 min Deulofeu slithers brilliantly between two defenders in the box and finds Barkley, who makes room for a shot that is deflected behind for a corner. Gomes claims that easily.
2.06pm GMT
78 min “Is there still time to throw Scottish breakfast into the mix?” says Matt Loten. “I’m very partial to a nice tattie scone, though of course I wouldn’t be foolish enough to include it at the expense of the hash browns, as some of the cafes round my part of Edinburgh feel the need to do.”
Spud, they’re ma sheets!
2.05pm GMT
77 min A good ball from Deulofeu, Everton’s liveliest attacker, finds Valencia in the box and he wins a corner.
2.04pm GMT
76 min There could be a red card in this game, because a few Everton players have started to take their frustration out on passing shinbones.
2.02pm GMT
75 min Holebas is booked for perceived timewasting.
2.01pm GMT
74 min Everton’s only chance here is if Watford bring on Marouane Fellaini.
2.00pm GMT
71 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “You say ‘breakfast means breakfast’, but is that FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST or
continental? I think your readers have a right to know.”
Luckily, with my surname I’m eligible for an Irish breakfast.
1.59pm GMT
70 min Another Everton change: Enner Valencia replaces Kevin Mirallas. Ronald Koeman usually has the expression of a man whose undercarriage is being lightly tickled but at the moment he has a face like thunder.
1.56pm GMT
68 min “I’m not one to overreact,” says Gary Naylor, “but Everton are in big trouble. Really big trouble.” I agree they look mediocre but it’s hardly 1993-94 or 1997-98.
1.54pm GMT
67 min Deulofeu slams a low near-post to Lukaku, whose attempted flick is blocked splendidly by the sliding Prodl.
1.53pm GMT
65 min Ross Barkley comes on to replace Idrissa Gueye. Everton have been really poor today.
1.52pm GMT
Stekelenburg’s save is in vain because Okaka has scored from the resulting corner! Holebas on the right curled it to the near post, where Okaka got in front of Barry and flicked a header through Stekelenburg’s right hand. Watford have destroyed Everton at set pieces in the last five minutes, and they are set for their first win over Everton since 1987.
1.51pm GMT
63 min Britos almost makes it 3-1 from another set piece. Capoue curled a big, booming free-kick beyond the defence for Britos, who came round the back and planted a good downward header across goal. Stekelenburg reacted superbly to dive to his left and push the ball over the bar.
1.50pm GMT
62 min Baines and Amrabat collide as they jump for a high ball, with both ending up on the floor. Baines is booked.
1.48pm GMT
61 min A Watford substitution: Adlene Guedioura is replaced by Daryl Janmaat.
1.47pm GMT
Second time lucky for Prodl, who heads decisively past Stekelenburg after a beautiful dipping free-kick by Holebas on the left. Watford lead deservedly on the balance of the whole game, if not necessarily the second half.
1.46pm GMT
59 min Deulofeu, who was apparently booked for kicking the ball away just before the Watford goal, has a contretemps with Capoue. Anthony Taylor tells them both to grow up.
1.45pm GMT
58 min Barry fouls Zuniga down the Watford right. Guedioura’s deep ball in is headed over from 10 yards by the centre-back Prodl. That was a decent chance.
1.43pm GMT
56 min Watford haven’t got going since half-time and at the moment Everton look the much likelier scorers.
1.39pm GMT
51 min Baines has a goal disallowed for offside against Coleman, whose cross set up the chance.
1.38pm GMT
51 min “Regarding London’s feelings reminded me of a truly dreadful joke,” begins Robert Dobson. “’Angb. That’s bang out of order.’ Sorry. It’s that type of game.”
1.37pm GMT
50 min A bit of a nothing start to the second half. Deulofeu looks lively but his crossing has been poor.
1.37pm GMT
49 min “Behrami puked on the pitch,” says JR in Illinois. “They showed a nice close-up of him vomiting. Guess I am going to put off breakfast for a while after seeing that.”
Breakfast means breakfast.
1.34pm GMT
47 min “Lukaku is a £28M player, but that’s because he is a £50M running on to the ball and a £6M player with his back to goal,” says Gary Naylor. “The only player who can thread the ball to him in the channels (Barry’s ball was a bit of a punt that won’t work very often) is Barkley, but he’s on the naughty step for not tackling back. So…”
1.32pm GMT
46 min Peep peep! Watford begin the second half, kicking from left to right.
1.32pm GMT
There’s a delay to the start of the second half while Behrami is treated on the field. Not sure what happened there but he is going to try to run it off.
1.21pm GMT
“Evening Rob,” says Tom Hopkins. “I’m afraid I’m a day late for the traditional ‘reading the MBM from an annoyingly fabulous location’ e-mail, as I’m currently at Hong Kong airport on the way back from Ishigaki Island which I can confirm is perfectly lovely. Wall-to-wall Christmas music a little incongruous though. I am in no way looking forward to being back in London tomorrow.”
You’ve really hurt London’s feeling there, mate. Bang out of order.
1.18pm GMT
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1.18pm GMT
Peep peep! An enjoyable half ends level, with Watford responding superbly to Romelo Lukaku’s soft opening goal. Stefano Okaka’s balletic flick brought them level, and they could have taken the lead after that. See you in 10 minutes for more hot football action.
1.16pm GMT
45 min “Just had a look and indeed Barry comes out top for PL cautions, followed by Lee Bowyer, Kevin Davis and Paul Scholes,” says Henry Lee. “Barry has amassed 117 yellows in the PL, 18 more than Bowyer.”
Yeah but how many chairs has he thrown in McDonald’s?
1.14pm GMT
44 min Everton needs half time here, and not just because of the strikingly high quality of the Vicarage Road Gatorade.
1.13pm GMT
43 min “For some reason, Rob, I’m still here,” says Matt Loten. “It’s not been too bad, in all honesty. Can we talk about Lukaku for a second? That’s eight for the season now, and eighty-six in all competitions since he moved to England. However, when I watch him play, even when he scores, I can’t help but feel Mourinho was right to move him on. His first touch is too often suspect, and he doesn’t hold the ball up nearly consistently enough for a striker of his size and strength. I suppose he’s worth £30m for his ability to get 20 goals a season alone, but considering that’s about as much as Chelsea paid for Costa, I know who I’d rather have in my side.”
Yes, I agree. He’s still young enough to develop into the beast everyone assumed he would become, but I’m not sure he has the necessary mongrel for that to happen. You’d worry about selling him though, because he has the potential to make you look very silly.
1.12pm GMT
41 min Another chance for Watford. Guedioura’s lofted angled pass from a narrow position goes over the head of Coleman at the far post and Deeney – possibly unsighted – makes a complete mess of a sidefooted volley from six yards, hitting it into the ground and wide of the near post.
1.10pm GMT
37 min Watford deserve that goal. The front two of Deeney and Okaka are both capable of moments of clodhoppery, yet they have also produced a series of lovely flicks, dragbacks and backheels. Stereotypes be damned. Okaka’s goal was almost balletic.
1.07pm GMT
Sound the good-touch-for-a-big-man klaxon: this is a brilliant finish from Stefano Okaka! Guedioura ran at Funes Mori down the right and curled an excellent, fast low cross towards the near post, where Okaka got away from the sleeping Williams and flicked the ball deftly behind his standing leg and into the net. Actually, it wasn’t even his standing leg – both feet were in the air as he flicked the ball past Stekelenburg, which makes it an even better goal.
1.05pm GMT
36 min “NBC just stated that Gareth Barry is the most cautioned player in the history of the Premier League (?)” says/asks Henry Lee. That sounds fair enough, given the way he plays and the number of games he has played.
1.05pm GMT
35 min Holebas’s long throw is headed on by Deeney at the near post, but Guedioura can’t get any power on his header and Stekelenburg makes a comfortable save.
1.00pm GMT
30 min Watford are a little unlucky to trail in what has been a decent game, especially considering the poor form of both teams going into the match.
12.58pm GMT
27 min Anyone out there?
12.56pm GMT
26 min Watford have responded very well to going behind, the affrontometer cranked up to the max. Okaka plays a clever flick to Holebas, whose cross deflects back onto his shin and out for a goalkick.
12.55pm GMT
24 min Amrabat scorches past Baines and Funes Mori before pulling the ball back to Deeney just inside the box. His first touch is heavier than one of Marty McFly’s problems, however, and the danger passes.
12.53pm GMT
21 min Watford win their first corner, which is swung in from the left by Guedioura. Britos gets in front of Williams at the near post and heads over.
12.51pm GMT
20 min A good response from Watford. Behrami feeds a ball into Deeney, who shields it on the edge of the box and then drags it behind him to find Okaka. He opens up his body but places a sidefooted shot too close to Stekelenburg, who gets to his left to make a comfortable save.
12.48pm GMT
Everton take the lead out of nothing. Barry, just inside the Watford half, curled a speculative pass in behind the defence. Britos and Prodl were dreaming of a white Christmas, and Lukaku just ran through to slip the ball first time between Gomes’s legs.
12.45pm GMT
14 min This is a good spell for Watford. After a nice move, Capoue’s low ball across goal is cleared vitally by the stretching Funes Mori.
12.43pm GMT
13 min Guedioura’s cross from the right is headed on by Deeney to Capoue. He controls the ball on the edge of the box, waits for it to bounce up and then smashes a shot out for a throw-in. It’s the thought that counts.
12.40pm GMT
9 min An Everton corner is played short to Deulofeu, whose awkward cross is punched away in a slightly weird manner by Gomes at the near post. He was under no pressure and could probably have caught the ball without any trouble.
12.37pm GMT
7 min Guedioura is booked for a studs-up tackle on Gueye.
12.36pm GMT
6 min Deulofeu’s cross bounces off a Watford defender, and looks set to fall perfectly for Mirallas before Prodl reacts smartly to lump the ball out of danger.
12.35pm GMT
5 min Capoue plays a beautiful no-look pass infield to Holebas, who sprays his cross straight out for a goalkick.
12.34pm GMT
4 min “On the subject of Koeman and his style, I’m somewhat bemused by his failure to draw anything of note from the attacking talents of Barkley, Lukaku, Deulofeu, Mirallas and Lennon,” says Matt Loten. “Bolasie might have been almost as big a waste of money as the unfathomably overrated Moussa Sissoko, but there is a plethora of attacking talent in this side, and last season, despite the clear failings of the Martinez era, I would have happily tuned in to watch Everton at any opportunity. This season I’ve had more entertainment trying to file the cat’s nails.”
12.33pm GMT
3 min This match has started with a striking lack of intensity. The levels of competence haven’t been stratospheric either.
12.30pm GMT
2 min “Afternoon, Rob,” says Nick Grundy. “Good to know Bolasie is out – however, while I know I’m a bit behind the times, haven’t Everton been without Marouane Fellaini for quite a while now?”
Didn’t you see his match-saving cameo last weekend?
12.30pm GMT
1 min Peep peep! Everton, in blue, kick off from left to right. Watford are in yellow. It’s a murky, mucky afternoon in Watford.
12.19pm GMT
Clint Eastwood department
“Not sure which game Gary Naylor was watching last week,” says Keiran Betteley. “It was pretty turgid from both sides in the first half, enlivened only by Stekelenberg’s brain fart, but Everton hammered United in the second and but for De Gea could have had a comfortable victory.”
12.10pm GMT
An email! “Everton were pathetic for much of the match last Sunday against the worst Manchester United XI I’ve seen in 20 years,” writes Gary Naylor. “There were a lot of rumblings in the crowd about Koeman’s commitment to the cause, his typically Dutch er… ‘Sod You!’ demeanour not helping with fans who are, dare I say, sentimental about the club, something Moyes and Martinez understood from day one. I don’t care for 4-4-2 as a tactical formation, but it’s also a state of mind, and I think we need it today. A supine 1-0 defeat and the Christmas spirit will absent itself from Goodison, with Arsenal and Liverpool next up.”
Yes, Koeman’s teams tend to be quiet achievers, which is perfect for some clubs but maybe not Everton. He’s almost the Dutch Roy Hodgson. He needs time, though; it’s scandalous to judge anyway after half a season.
12.01pm GMT
Most people know the story of the 1984 FA Cup final between Everton and Watford. Many forget that, either side of that match at Wembley, they took part in two storming games at Vicarage Road: Watford 4-4 Everton and Watford 4-5 Everton.
11.57am GMT
Talking of golden ages, these books on 1980s
Everton and
Watford are both tremendous. Buy an early Christmas present for the one you love: you.
11.36am GMT
Watford (4-3-3) Gomes; Zuniga, Prodl, Britos, Holebas; Guedioura, Behrami, Capou; Amrabat, Deeney, Okaka.
Substitutes: Pantilimon, Kabasele, Janmaat, Watson, Success, Sinclair, Ighalo.
Everton (4-3-3) Stekelenburg; Coleman, Williams, Funes Mori, Baines; Gueye, Barry, McCarthy; Deulofeu, Lukaku, Mirallas.
Substitutes: Joel, Jagielka, Holgate, Cleverley, Barkley, Lennon, Valencia.
9.21am GMT
Morning. Any meeting of Watford and Everton will always bring back memories of
the 1984 FA Cup final: Andy Gray’s infamous goal, Michael Barrymore’s comedy racism (no longer on YouTube, which meant it didn’t really happen). Both teams aren’t quite replicating their 1980s golden age, but they are in relatively rude health: Watford are enjoying a second consecutive season in the top flight for the first time since the days when The A-Team was primetime television, and Everton have been the best of the rest for much of the past 15 years.
They are in poor form at the moment, however, with only one win in their last 10, and Watford is not the easiest place to go on a mucky Saturday in December. They will be without Yannick Bolasie, who is out for the rest of the season, and Marouane Fellaini.
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