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Full time: Watford 2-1 Newcastle
Peep peep! Watford are six points clear of the relegation places, and tantalisingly close to safety, after their second comeback victory in five days. They were outplayed in the first half by a confident Newcastle, but were much more aggressive after the break and earned a deserved victory through a pair of violent penalties from Troy Deeney.
90+2 min Danny Welbeck is replaced by Andre Gray.
90 min Hughes is booked for fouling Joelinton. There will be five minutes of added time.
89 min Newcastle can’t get out of their own half.
86 min Another Newcastle change. Valentino Lazaro comes on for the hobbling Jamaal Lascelles.
85 min Tom Cleverley comes on to replace the inimitable Troy Deeney, whose two violent penalties have put Watford ahead.
85 min Schar is booked for fouling Hughes, who has been Watford’s best player today.
83 min Lascelles makes a marvellous block to deny Deeney a hat-trick. Watford have been excellent since half-time, so much more aggressive.
Both Deeney’s penalties contained precisely 0.00 per cent nonsense. Dubravka went the right way, to his right, but it was hit with such power by Deeney that it went straight through him.
GOAL! Watford 2-1 Newcastle (Deeney 81 pen)
Deeney smokes it into the net!
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Manquillo got too tight to Sarr, who rolled him with ease and then fell over when Manquillo tried to pull him back. That was awful defending.
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80 min: ANOTHER PENALTY TO WATFORD!
79 min Two more changes for Newcastle: Nabil Bentaleb and Emil Krafth replace the goalscorer Dwight Gayle and Danny Rose.
78 min Sarr’s brilliant deep cross is headed behind by Schar, just in front of Welbeck. That was a vital piece of defending.
77 min Fernandez is booked for a foul on Sarr.
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76 min It’s now Norwich 0-4 Michail Antonio are Carrow Road.
74 min Hughes’ inswinging corner is well claimed by Dubravka. Watford look like the likelier winners, though we all remember Romania 98.
73 min Hughes goes down in the area after a challenge from Rose. No penalty. It looked like a bit of a dive.
72 min A Newcastle substitution: Joelinton replaces Matt Ritchie.
71 min If it stays like this Watford will be four points clear of Bournemouth, whose game in hand is at home to Leicester tomorrow.
68 min Drinks break.
67 min A Dawson own goal is ruled out for an offside against Saint-Maximin.
64 min A good effort from Doucoure. He receives a pass from Deeney on the edge of the area, shifts the ball away from Shelvey and scrunches a rising drive that goes a few yards wide.
63 min Manquillo is booked for a foul on Sarr.
62 min There was a VAR check for a possible handball by Rose when Welbeck’s shot was blocked. It did hit his arm, but he was in the process of falling over and the ball deflected off another defender just in front of him.
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60 min Watford are the better team now. Sarr and Deeney combine nicely to find Welbeck, whose shot on the turn takes two deflections and loops agonisingly onto the roof of the net.
59 min Watford have been in Newcastle’s face a lot more since half-time, and that approach leads to a terrific chance for Deeney. Hughes pressed Fernandez, who gave the ball straight to Deeney. He danced around the recovering Fernandez on the edge of the area but smashed his shot too close to Dubravka. He should have scored.
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57 min “Rob,” says Mac Millings. “Regarding Neill Brown’s question, and your response, I think you’re both right. At the start of the season, Watford’s ‘attacking’ play was dreadful without Troy, and improved when he returned, but I suspect that’s because he was basically part of a partnership with Deulofeu, before the latter got injured. Deeney has always been better as part of a front two (Exhibit A: his partnership with Odion Ighalo, but also Deulofeu and Vydra). He seems to need a speedy partner running off him, and to thread his underrated passes to.”
55 min Michail Antonio has scored a hat-trick for West Ham at Norwich, who will be officially relegated today.
53 min At the other end, Gayle’s 20-yard shot is held by the plunging Foster.
GOAL! Watford 1-1 Newcastle (Deeney 52 pen)
Troy Deeney inhales extravagantly, runs up and smashes the penalty straight down the middle.
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Yes, the penalty stands. It was relatively soft but it was a foul.
50 min: PENALTY TO WATFORD! Femenia was tripped by Ritchie and, though it will be checked, I think this is a penalty.
49 min Newcastle have made a fast start to the second half. Ritchie’s cross from the left comes to Gayle, who lashes the bouncing ball over the bar from 12 yards. It was a difficult ball to keep down.
46 min Peep peep! Newcastle begin the second half.
“Good evening Rob from dark, cold Melbourne,” says Neill Brown. “This is quite a good game, given that one team could be helping overcrowd a beach somewhere. I don’t watch every Watford game but I’m not convinced that Troy Deeney is mobile enough to lead such a rapid frontline and he might be holding the team back. Interested what you, along with Watford fans, think?”
He looks a bit off the pace, which doesn’t help. Watford fans will know more than me but I think he adds so much to the team when he’s at or near his best. Alternatively, you could just wheel him out once a year for Arsenal (H).
“Ah, yes,” says Matt Dony. “‘Newly promoted.’ As you were. I was too excited about being able to make a David Bellion joke, which obviously blinded me to the actual question that had been asked. Petty, childish tribalism does turns us into eejits.”
Speak for yourse- oh.
Half-time reading
West Ham are now 2-0 up at Norwich. They will be in the Premier League next season.
Half time: Watford 0-1 Newcastle
Peep peep! An impressive, confident Newcastle deservedly lead through Dwight Gayle’s tap-in. Watford have been bereft in attack, so maybe we’ll see the exciting Brazilian teenager Joao Pedro in the second half.
45+2 min Lascelles is booked for a foul on Doucoure.
45 min Three minutes of added time.
43 min Capoue’s free-kick from the right leads to an almighty scramble, with Dawson and Doucoure both having shots blocked.
42 min “Hello!” says Jim McKendrick. “Digvijay Yadav‘s reference to that Derby County season was a bit of a trigger for me: four of their 11 points came from their Newcastle matches.”
I bet Big Sam needed a pint of wine that night.
41 min Welbeck heads a long ball onto Sarr, who waits and then floats a cross back towards Welbeck. He rises above Lascelles but can’t get any power on his header.
40 min “Sunderland 2002/03 were painfully poor, especially when compared to the quality of the teams above them,” says Matt Dony. “West Ham were relegated despite finishing on 42 points, which makes Sunderland’s tally of 19 seem particularly hopeless. And then Fergie bought their striker.”
And they were promoted in 1999.
37 min Schar is down after a clash of heads with Masina.
35 min: Fine save from Foster! Lovely play from Newcastle. Manquillo drove the ball into Gayle, who touched it deftly into the path of Saint-Maximin. He surged away from Masina and into the area before flicking a shot that was saved by the legs of the outrushing Foster.
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35 min Watford’s remaining fixtures are West Ham (A), Manchester City (H) and Arsenal (A). If they lose today, they could be in a bit of trouble.
33 min Capoue is booked for a foul on Almiron.
32 min This is a good Newcastle side. They had an awful start to the season, but since the start of October they have as many points as Spurs and Arsenal. Steve Bruce has done pretty well for a dinosaur.
30 min The second corner is volleyed away by Capoue, and then Shelvey curls in a wicked ball that flashes across the face of goal.
29 min Saint-Maximin wins a corner down the right. Ritchie swings it in and Foster mistimes a punch that loops over his own bar.
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28 min Masina’s long throw leads to a bit of a scramble in the Newcastle area. Eventually Hughes’ chipped cross is claimed by Dubravka.
24 min Time for a drinks break.
GOAL! Watford 0-1 Newcastle (Gayle 23)
Erm, as I was saying. Newcastle have taken the lead through Dwight Gayle. Ritchie’s right-wing corner was headed dangerously across goal by the unmarked Fernandez, and Gayle ran the ball into the net from a yard.
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21 min Watford have livened up after a sluggish start, and it’s a more even game as a result.
18 min “Derby County 2007-08 aside, which are the worst promoted teams have you seen in the Premier League?” says Digvijay Yadav. “I’d say this Norwich team are right up there. And for some reason I get the feeling Leeds will stay up for a long time.”
I think that’s a bit harsh - they had so many injuries early in the season and never really recovered. Sunderland 2005-06 were very poor, from memory, and Swindon 1993-94, though kinda charming, were hopeless in defence.
16 min: Welbeck hits the post! Watford almost take the lead with their first chance. Kiko Femenia’s cross from the right cleared everyone in the middle and reached Welbeck beyond the far post. He sidefooted a volley into the ground that bounced up to beat Dubravka, hit the inside of the post and spin across the goalline. It was about to go over the line when the alert Lascelles hooked it clear.
13 min There’s been an early goal at Carrow Road. You won’t believe the score!
11 min: Good save from Foster! Shelvey’s corner was flicked on at the near post, by Deeney I think, and half-volleyed towards goal from close range by Almiron. Foster moved smartly across his line to make an excellent block.
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10 min Newcastle win the first corner on the left. They have dominated possession to an almost Guardiolan extent in the first 10 minutes.
6 min It’s been a decent start from Newcastle, whose confidence doesn’t seem to be have been unaffected by their pasting at the Etihad.
3 min Saint-Maximin’s cross flashes past Almiron on the six-yard line. Almiron was fractionally offside but it was a terrific ball in.
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3 min There’s a VAR check for a possible red card after Sarr caught Rose in the face with his elbow. It wasn’t deliberate, and VAR decides Sarr is not guilty.
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1 min Peep peep! Watford kick off from right to left.
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A bit of pre-match reading
Some really sad news from earlier Jack Charlton, who managed Newcastle in the 1984-85 season, has died at the age of 85. This is a brilliantly written tribute from Paul Doyle, focussing on Charlton’s extraordinary success with Ireland.
Team news
Watford (4-2-3-1) Foster; Kiko Femenia, Kabasele, Dawson, Masina; Capoue, Hughes; Sarr, Doucoure, Welbeck; Deeney.
Substitutes: Gomes, Mariappa, Cleverley, Chalobah, Cathcart, Joao Pedro, Gray, Pussetto, Pereyra.
Newcastle (4-2-3-1) Dubravka; Manquillo, Lascelles, Fernandez, Rose; Schar, Shelvey; Saint-Maximin, Almiron, Ritchie; Gayle.
Substitutes: Joelinton, Muro, Krafth, Yedlin, Lazaro, Darlow, Atsu, Bentaleb, M Longstaff.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Preamble
Breaking news: 35 is the new 40. Not in terms of ageing, where 40 stubbornly remains the old 40, but avoiding relegation. Once upon a time, a 35-point season meant a ticket to the second-tier, but in each of the last three seasons it has been enough to stay up. The struggles of Bournemouth and Aston Villa mean that 2019-20 is likely to be no different.
If Watford beat Newcastle today they will move to 34 points, and the great escape will almost be complete. Watford have been so solid under Nigel Pearson that it’s easy to forget the state they were in when he took over. They had eight points from 15 games and were seven points from safety.
If they do stay up, it will thanks to their form at Vicarage Road. The 2-1 win over Norwich on Wednesday was their fifth in 10 home games under Pearson. And if they make it six in 11 today, they will be tantalisingly close to the magical 35-point mark.
Kick off 12.30pm.
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