LEEDS UTD 3
By at Vicarage Road
IAN BAKER
21, 73, 85
ROY HODGSON stood with a rueful smile at the finish.
He is now staring relegation and probably the end of his fine managerial career in the face.
And judging by his bleak post-match assessment it appears even former England manager Hodgson fears the worst for his Watford side.
They are now six points adrift of safety having lost nine in a row at Vicarage Road.
In truth they only have themselves to blame for an abysmal performance at both ends of the pitch as Raphinha, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison guided Leeds to victory.
When asked whether he was still confident Watford could beat the drop, Hodgson, 74, said: “I’ve never used the word ‘confident’, I can’t identify with that statement.
“We have no reason to be confident. We do have reason to believe, we do have reason to have faith, we do have reason to think we’re not that bad and results are a distinct possibility for us.
“I don’t think anyone at
Norwich, Burnley or even Everton will be saying they are confident.
“But, of course, Everton and Leeds have got results and given themselves such a good margin that makes their position so much better than ours.
“I don’t have an answer to our run at home.
“The mood amongst our players isn’t bad but I can guess it is amongst the fans.
“What we have to do is put this game and result behind us and hope it doesn’t affect the games to come too deeply.”
After Everton had surprisingly beaten Manchester United earlier in the day, this was even more must-win for Watford.
But their start did little to inspire confidence as Ben Foster’s poor kick went straight to Harrison, who slipped at the crucial moment.
Then Luke Ayling headed over from a Stuart Dallas corner before the Hornets finally found a way into the game. Imran Louza’s free-kick went agonisingly wide after brushing the post before Cucho Hernandez’s set piece also came close to going in.
Christian Kabasele was also unable to convert from a Louza corner as Watford looked more likely.
But it was Leeds who took the lead against the run of play on 21 minutes.
Twice the hosts had opportunities to clear but Daniel James found Raphinha, who scored his 10th of the campaign from the edge of the area.
Still Watford started the second half well and had chances to level.
Joao Pedro fired over left footed after a promising move, while Ismaila Sarr missed a sitter after Pedro had played him through.
But the Hornets were again architects of their own downfall as Leeds scored their second 15 minutes from time.
Hassane Kamara and Samir got into a right old mess without any signs of trouble at all and Rodrigo nipped in to accept the gift.
“Leeds are staying up,” sang the gleeful travelling fans.
And it got even better for them five minutes from the end as Harrison crisply struck home from the edge of the area with his left foot.
The harsh reality for Watford was Leeds were well below their best despite winning by three.
Leeds boss Jesse Marsch has made a big difference in his short time in Yorkshire and his side are now up to 33 points, nine above the drop.
But the American said: “We’re still in the relegation battle. Everyone is getting results around us.
“We have to fight for everything and I’m OK with that.
“Things will get tight so we just need to stay focused on us.
“This was far from perfect. But we’re really excited that we were able to emerge from a tough moment.
“The points are massive. There is confidence and momentum.
“After six weeks we can see the form and confidence of the players.
“There are some great relationships in this group and I’m trying to help our guys be the best they can be.”
The mood amongst our players isn’t bad, but I can guess it is amongst the fans. We just have to put this result behind us