Dazzling Deulofeu strikes again
THE Deulofeu Bend. It has quite the ring to it, up there with the Cruyff Turn, perhaps.
Watford’s mercurial striker Gerard Deulofeu did it at Wembley and showed it was no fluke with a repeat show at the John Smith’s Stadium, albeit from closer range.
After his heroics in the FA Cup semi-final win over Wolves, this is becoming quite the party piece for a player who has been involved in 16 goals in all competitions this season, scoring 11 and setting up five.
Sublime skill for the first, a scruffy stab from the Spaniard for the second but they all count and Deulofeu is revelling in it.
‘He is scoring important goals and very good goals. All goals are good for me but he is in an important moment for the team and helping the team,’ said Watford coach Javi Gracia.
‘He always has good commitment even when he doesn’t score. He showed his quality with this goal. Deulofeu, playing in different positions and shapes, he has been an important player for us without recognition. When you score goals people talk about you but he is always doing a good job.’
It is a month until the showcase final against Manchester City so it will be quite a challenge for Gracia to keep his players engaged and motivated with two potential routes to Europa League football. Seventh place is the aim, which is where they moved to after this win.
They were made to sweat by a Huddersfield side who showed an appetite for a scrap which is heartening if a little late. In a season of unremitting misery, the fans have stuck by the players, so much so that the cardboard clappers were out for the pre-match warm-up.
The supporters deserve a medal each. They almost lifted the roof in added time when Karlan Grant headed a consolation.
This is a side who have earned four points from their last 22 League matches, shipped goals like there is no tomorrow and were on a run of six successive League defeats going into this game.
Three wins all season – two of them over Wolves – have only served to highlight how outclassed the Yorkshiremen have been.
Yet it would be churlish not to give Jan Siewert’s team some credit after going a goal down in the first five minutes.
Abdoulaye Doucoure set off on a trademark surging run where he ran into a tackle from Terence Kongolo, the ball squirmed to Deulofeu, who paused then bent the ball round Jonas Lossl.
Huddersfield tried to fight back. Aaron Mooy was off target with a couple of interestingly placed free kicks while the best moment came from a long-range effort by Isaac Mbenza. Ben Foster again showed his class with the save.
Siewert cuts a lively figure in the technical area. He almost looks like he wants to draw a pair of six guns, cowboy style, as he urges his players forward. It would be cruel to suggest their season has been a spaghetti western.
With the benefit of a half-time team talk behind them. Huddersfield continued the search for an equaliser. Steve Mounie’s overhead kick would have been spectacular had it
gone under instead of over the bar.
At the other end Deulofeu had a couple of half-chances go begging and then jumped on the rebound from Doucoure’s initial shot to make sure of the win with ten minutes to go.
‘Gerard Deulofeu is a great player,’ Siewert conceded. ‘I saw him in the Spanish team when I was working for the German FA. I saw him as a threat, he was younger and now he is even better.
‘I have a positive mindset. I won’t change it. Look at the supporters, you would think we are fighting for first place in the table. Look at the chances. It showed the heart of my players.’