Digne’s delight
Late strike denies Watford victory at Everton
Not for the first time, events involving Marco Silva had a bitter end for Watford. Just when they sensed that a reunion would bring revenge over a manager who went from a hero to a hate figure, Everton salvaged a point they barely deserved.
If Watford’s season last year was ruined by Silva’s flirtation with Everton, their evening last night was spoilt by one of his signings. While Everton rued a 96th-minute goal eight days earlier when Divock Origi scored Liverpool’s Merseyside derby winner, they could celebrate one as Lucas Digne curled in an inch-perfect free-kick.
“We are unhappy with the result,” said Silva, but it could have been more chastening for him as Watford were denied a maiden win at Goodison Park. They had been seconds away from going level on points with Everton. It would have been a neat retort to the theory that the ambitious Silva had gone on to bigger and better things on Merseyside when Watford had eloquently demonstrated that they have found a way of coping without him and Richarlison, their other old boy and the scorer of Everton’s opener.
Silva was taunted throughout, the travelling fans waving inflatable snakes at a man they believe was guilty of treachery. “I didn’t see anything,” said the Portuguese. “It is not important to me.”
But neither time nor the authorities have healed Watford’s wounds. The club’s complaint to the Premier League about what they claim was an illegal approach remains unresolved and, while Everton had attempted to repair relations by paying what they felt was over the odds for Richarlison, his £40million fee looks money well spent.
He did not score in his last 28 games for Watford, but the Brazilian delivered the eighth goal of his brief Everton career. “I told him it was the first goal I see because last season he didn’t score one for me,” joked Javi Gracia, Watford’s coach.
While Silva was sacked in January after a run of eight defeats in 11 games, successor Gracia has earned a new contract during a sequence of six matches without a win. Yet the Spaniard’s side showed why he has secured the club’s trust.
They showed spirit to recover from conceding controversially to score twice in as many minutes.
Ben Foster extended his excellent form with a penalty save from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Gracia’s bold decision to make Domingos Quina the second youngest player to start a Premier League game for Watford paid off. The fearless teenager flourished, creating two chances for Troy Deeney. “He had an amazing performance,” said Gracia.
In the first half, Watford were punished by the officials and their past when Richarlison steered in a shot from Andre Gomes’s cutback.
Whereas some players refuse to celebrate against their old clubs, the Brazilian ran towards the Watford fans, pointing at the Everton badge on his chest.
Watford’s players were more aggrieved by the build-up than the aftermath. While Gomes knocked the ball into space, the offside Theo Walcott had got a touch that went unnoticed by referee Kevin Friend. “It is offside,” said Gracia. “It is difficult to accept every day the same situation, but what can we do?”
Watford were further annoyed when Yerry Mina, already booked for attempting to punch Sigurdsson’s cross in, escaped a second yellow card on the stroke of half-time.
But Watford set about transforming the game as Silva blamed his side for losing the lead. “We lost our focus completely,” he admitted. Roberto Pereyra occupied Richarlison’s old position on Watford’s left flank and the classiest player on the pitch was the catalyst in a turnaround. First the Argentinian whipped a first-time shot that bounced back off a post, struck the unwitting Seamus Coleman and rebounded into the Everton net. Then the luckless Everton captain was outjumped by Abdoulaye Doucoure when the midfielder headed in Pereyra’s cross.
But Christian Kabasele allowed Everton a chance to get back into the game. The defender shoved Mina to concede a penalty. Sigurdsson, who had missed against Nigeria in the World Cup and Fulham in the Premier League, completed an unwanted hat-trick of failures from 12 yards when he drilled his penalty against Foster’s legs.
But Everton escaped defeat because of another set-piece. Kabasele handled to gift them a free-kick. Digne has taken Leighton Baines’s place in the Everton side and he produced a shot worthy of the dropped veteran.
“It showed personality and character,” added Silva, but it was a night when his old side showed more mettle than his current charges.