King thought he’d produced slam dunk finale
JOSH KING felt like he had been playing basketball after a frantic end-to- end encounter saw VAR rule out his late Watford ‘winner’.
Hornets fans reckoned it was more like Aussie Rules, however, and blamed referee Jarred Gillett.
The Premier League’s first imported referee certainly had a debut to remember on a day when both sides may have set their own records for chances missed.
Both had to be satisfied with a point, which left Newcastle still winless but now out of the bottom three, and Watford, to use a Steve Bruce phrase, ticking along in mid table.
Sean Longstaff found the top corner to fire Newcastle ahead in the 23rd minute and the visitors spurned a series of opportunities to extend the lead.
Levelled
Watford levelled in the 72nd minute when Josh King flicked on Danny Rose’s corner for
Ismaila Sarr to head home at the back post.
King thought he had won it in the 88th minute on the rebound from Karl Darlow’s save but VAR confirmed the striker, plus two colleagues, were all offside.
King, the summer freebie signing, said: “Three (below) of us were offside, even if I wasn’t they probably still wouldn’t have given it as they were blocking the keeper’s view.
“I’ve never had VAR on my side but it was offside.
“A point is fair and might be crucial in the end.
“It felt like a basketball game.”
The Norway striker is still searching for a first league goal since July 2020 having failed to get any last season for Bournemouth or Everton.
But he is providing assists and mainly for Sarr; the Senegal speedster has netted four of Watford’s seven Premier League goals so far.
“I was meant to block a player at the front post but I saw the ball coming towards me so I tried to get a flick on,” said King of the goal that did stand.
“I’ve a good connect with Sarr — I’ve given him three now in two games.”
Longstaff knows he has to up his scoring rate after netting for only the third time since 2019.
The midfielder ended a goal drought dating back to July 2020 with Newcastle’s opener midway through the first half.
He had already been close twice from range and ended the first half by missing an open goal after Allan SaintMaximin had seized on Craig Cathcart’s underhit backpass.
Volleys
Longstadd admitted: “I could have had a hattrick if one of the volleys went in at the start and then when we broke away. I was stretching for it a little bit.
“I have got to be a bit more composed in that situation. I know I have got it in my locker.”
The one that did go in was certainly worth waiting for as Longstaff launched a curler from the left of the box into the top corner.
Watford keeper Ben Foster got his gloves to it but could not keep it out.
Longstaff said: “I’ve kicked a few over the bar in the last few weeks so people will be saying ‘ thank goodness for that’ but it’s great to see one finally hit the net.”
WATFORD (4- 3- 3): Foster 8; Femenia 6 (Ngakia 67,
6), Troost- Ekong 7, Cathcart 6, Rose 6; Kucka 6 (Pedro 64, 5), Cleverley 6 ( Tufan 46, 7), Sissoko 6; Sarr 7, King 7, Dennis 6 (Etebo 75, 5).
Unused subs: Eliot, Masina, Sema, Kabasele, Hernandez
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4- 33): Darlow 7; Manquillo 6, Fernandez 6, Clark 7, Ritchie 7; I Hayden 7, S Longstaff 8, Willock 7 (Gayle 83); Almiron 6 (Murphy 79), SaintMaximim 7, Joelinton 6. Unused subs: Gillespie, Schar, Lewis, Hendrick, Krafth, Fraser, Anderson. Referee: Jarred Gillett 6 Att: 20,650
STAR MAN: Sean
Longstaff
STAR SHOCKER: Jacob Murphy
SUBSTITUTES
Dalot 5 (for Shaw, 34); Lindelof 5 (for Maguire, 66); Cavani (for McTominay, 81). NOT USED: Heaton, Matic, Van de Beek, Sancho, Lingard, Martial.
SUBSTITUTES
Buendia (for Ings, 78); Archer (for Ramsey, 86). NOT USED: Steer, Bogarde, Nakamba, Young, Traore, El Ghazi, Chukwuemeka.
UNITED
DOUGLAS LUIZ
VILLA
CRISTIANO RONALDO