Referee Graham Scott initially disallowed the goal for offside but the decision was overturned after a lengthy VAR review. Adam Masina swept the free-kick over three Everton heads in the area, Craig Cathcart flicked on and King converted. Another long afternoon appeared to beckon for Watford at that point.Įverton were in control early on, Watford fragile, only for the pattern of the game and the mood inside Goodison to turn following a needless foul by the badly out-of-sorts Lucas Digne on Ismaïla Sarr.

Photograph: Martin Rickett/PAĭemarai Gray, 128 seconds in and shortly after hugging the manager with whom he won the Premier League at Leicester, helped Everton make the perfect start when racing on to Gordon’s pass and crossing low for Davies, sliding in at the near post, to score his first goal since December 2019. Joshua King fires Watford’s fourth goal past Jordan Pickford. Ranieri’s substitutes, Emmanuel Dennis and João Pedro, would have far greater impacts. “If we finished winning everyone would say it was a great substitution but we made mistake after mistake and that was the key part of the game.” I thought we needed Richarlison because he can score goals and he came on the pitch and scored. The Everton manager said: “Anthony had a good game but he doesn’t have 90 minutes in him yet. A lengthy injury list provides no mitigation for a display a woeful as this. There were boos on the final whistle from those fans who remained, boos when young Anthony Gordon was substituted and a few boos when Alex Iwobi appeared from the substitutes’ bench. Watford walked in some of their late goals as Everton’s defence disintegrated.

His team gave the crowd good reason, serving up a truly shambolic defensive performance that turned a 2-1 lead in the 78th minute into a 5-2 defeat by the 91st. If they can concede three to one of the best teams in the world then it can happen that Watford concede five, but after that you have to fight for every second ball and every duel.” Something Everton failed to do.īenítez has built goodwill during his early days as Everton manager but Goodison turned in his 11th game in charge. “Atlético Madrid are one of the best teams at not conceding and lost 3-2 to Liverpool. “Every time I spoke to my players I told them: ‘Never, never give up’,” said the new Watford manager. Ranieri was full of praise for the clinical forward and the character shown by the entire Watford team after falling behind to Tom Davies’ opener after three minutes. I didn’t really get things going here and I felt like I had a point to prove to myself. King, who missed last week’s Liverpool defeat, said: “It is a bit personal.

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