Watford 1-1 Newcastle: A good point spoilt by results elsewhere?
It's never nice to concede late on and lose two points, but I think most of us would've taken a point today - especially when we've been so poor in our last two against Fulham and Liverpool.
The result is a frustrating one in the end, denying us what would've been an absolutely huge three points, and that's only emphasised by the fact Fulham and Cardiff both scored 90th minute goals to earn wins over Huddersfield (who look all but down at the moment) and Leicester respectively.
On the plus side, it was a much improved display. We weren't always convincing at the back but we managed the game well up until Doucoure's goal, carrying a threat on the counter, keeping the ball better than I expected (at times) and having just about every player out there do their job.
The star men were Rondon, Ritchie, Atsu and Diame for me - with the former's goal being devastating in front of goal once again when given the service:
Ritchie was outstanding, working tirelessly and intelligently at both ends and putting in the above cross to set up Rondon. Atsu put in perhaps one of the best performances we've seen from him too, actually taking players on, turning away from Watford players with ease and actually maintaining his energy levels and involvement in the game. Diame turned over the ball on countless occasions and looked more like the Mo we saw earlier in the year at times. Dummett did a very solid job and Rondon - who not only buried his one big chance - put in yet another outstanding all round display up top, holding the ball brilliantly, fighting for every ball and making some great runs in behind and into the channels.
It was a promising display, but it's a real shame we couldn't hold on for three precious points given how tough the fixtures are set to get - combined with the fact two of our big relegation rivals won.
Here’s how the table now looks after today’s results:
So, Huddersfield are starting to look on the brink - with them now EIGHT points behind us - but the likes of Fulham are now just four points away from ourselves in 18th, with Cardiff level on 18 points after their late win at Leicester.
Now the tough run really begins – with us set to play 4 games against the 'big six' in our next 5; and the other one is a relegation six pointer at home to Cardiff:
- Man Utd (H)
- Chelsea (A)
- Cardiff (H)
- Man City (H)
- Tottenham (A)
After some awful displays against Fulham and Liverpool it's positive to see us get a good point on the road and play much better, but we can't let our standards slip if we're to get anything out of our next five - a period that could leave us in the relegation zone if we don't perform.
HWTL!
