MATCH FACTS SCORES ON Craig’s scissor-kick special seals a finale full of Chils and thrills
CRAIG DAWSON’S injury-time equaliser capped a frantic fiveminute finale as football proved its sense of drama was alive and kicking at Vicarage Road.
An acrobatic close-range finish from the defender deep in stoppage time earned the Hornets a point – just a few moments after a sweetly struck Ben Chilwell drive appeared to have pushed the Foxes closer to a Champions League spot.
Dawson adjusted his body superbly after the visitors made a hash of clearing a Jose Holebas
■ This was just the second 1-1 draw in Premier League history in which both goals came in the 90th minute or later, after Arsenal v Liverpool in April 2011. corner, leaving the centre-half to hit his first goal of the season despite a valiant attempt from keeper Kasper Schmeichel to palm clear.
There were whoops of delight from the main stand, if nowhere else in the deserted stadium, as a handful of Watford’s staff celebrated an unlikely comeback.
It had been a gritty, if uninspired 90 minutes. But the finish proved that the game is still capable of generating the kind of unpredictable excitement that attracts broadcasters and captivates the general public.
Indeed, audiences want to see special moments – and the kind
■ Six of the last seven meetings between these sides in the top flight has seen a goal or a red card in the 90th minute or later (6 goals, 1 red card). served up by Chilwell in the last minute of the game certainly fell into that category. The England full-back had spent the majority of his afternoon labouring under the weight of a hefty price tag.
Linked with an £80million switch to Manchester City, the 23-year-old looked to have lost his zip, huffing and puffing his way down the left flank, with the pace of Ismaila Sarr causing him all sorts of problem.
But, as they say, there is no substitute for class. Chilwell (right) certainly proved that old adage.
Demarai Gray, thrown into the fray just after the hour, had done as much as anyone to lift Leicester and it was his superb crossfield ball that his colleague controlled with that deft left foot. Watford’s defenders were too late to realise their mistake.
The ball arrowed past Ben Foster and into the net off the inside of the post. It looked to have been enough. Dawson ensured it wasn’t.
For all their possession, Leicester lost their way in the final third.
Watford were compact and content to work hard and wait for their chances. Of the two gameplans it was the one from Nigel Pearson that should have borne fruit before either of the two late goals.
In one of the few highlights of the opening half, home skipper Troy