Tottenham Hotspur secure a late victory over Watford at Vicarage Road By Haran Naresh
Vicarage Road (credit Jbb503/Wikimedia Commons)
Tottenham Hotspur scored a stoppage time winner to defeat Watford and climb to fifth place in the Premier League.
Spurs dominated for large periods without looking particularly threatening but eventually found the breakthrough in the 96th minute when Davinson Sanchez headed in from Heung-min Son’s free kick.
In the second minute Josh King played in Emmanuel Dennis and he hit a weak effort that was easily saved by Hugo Lloris.
Tottenham dominated possession but struggled to carve out good chances.
With 17 minutes on the clock a Tottenham cross was cleared into the path of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who sliced his effort over the bar.
Harry Kane received the ball just outside the box and hit a powerful shot which forced a save from Daniel Bachmann.
Watford had a rare foray forward where Ken Sema sent a shot straight at Lloris.
With 26 minutes gone Sergio Reguilon struck a fierce drive which Bachmann pushed away.
Spurs were increasing the intensity of their play and Ben Davies had an effort which was blocked.
The visitors missed an excellent opportunity in the 30th minute when Watford gave the ball away near their own penalty box but Kane could only steer wide.
Emerson Royal lofted a cross into the box from which Hojbjerg headed straight at Bachmann.
Tottenham were struggling to break down the home side who were well-organised and defending in numbers.
Spurs made a promising start to the second half, with Reguilon having a deflected strike nestle into the side netting.
In the 51st minute Lucas Moura directed a shot on goal which was easily collected by Bachmann.
Kane turned on the edge of the box and hit a dipping strike which was tipped over by Bachmann.
Watford came close to taking the lead against the run of play when King had a shot which appeared to be going towards the bottom corner but Lloris did well to save.
With 63 minutes on the clock Joao Pedro blazed a free-kick from just outside the box well off target.
Tottenham were probing in search of the goal and Royal sent an effort which Heung-min Son almost guided in with a back-heel.
Watford continued to defend well and denied the away team space in the final third.
Spurs had their best chance of the game in the 71st minute when Moura picked out Son with a flighted cross and his volley was going towards the corner but Bachmann made an excellent save.
There was a prolonged pause in the action due to a medical emergency in the crowd. Due to this delay, there were eight minutes of added time.
Tottenham scored deep into stoppage time when Davinson Sanchez flicked in a header from Son’s whipped free-kick delivery.
Royal picked out Kane in the box and he headed straight at Bachmann.
Spurs weren’t at their best but they dug deep to secure the three points late on.
Tottenham’s next game is the first-leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea which takes place at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte speaking in his post-match press conference: “To play every three days is not easy. I’m delighted with the commitment of the players. Another clean sheet and we’re showing solidity in this aspect.”
On his team’s wayward crossing in the game: “For sure, we need to improve in this aspect, because when you play with this formation, the wing-backs are very important. When the ball arrives there, we must be more effective.”
We know times are hard
If you are struggling to make ends meet, we are keeping Haringey Community Press free because of you. We know that many people cannot afford to pay for local news, so this website and our print paper will always be free. If you can afford to, and value what we do, a small monthly or one-off contribution can support us to keep providing quality journalism for Haringey to our community for free.
Monthly direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month.
Enjoying Haringey Community Press? You can help support our not-for-profit newspaper and website from £5 per month.