Leicester City 3 v 0 Watford
Report by Stuart Dawkins
As I write, it is the anniversary of City being presented with the Premier League trophy, and six minutes of footage from that memorable day were played on the big screens prior to kick-off against Watford.
The relative ease with which City dispatched their fellow-mid table opponents left one wondering what might have been achieved this time around if the team had played like this all season – perhaps not the title, but surely a challenge for Europe rather than taking until the 35th game to be completely safe from relegation?
The manager fielded the usual team, allowing for Morgan’s continuing absence. You don’t need me to tell you what it is, and that consistency has been a part of City’s revival. Watford started with Deeney on the bench, with the striker role given to the giant Okaka. The visitors are a physical, direct team who get the ball up to the big men, get crosses in and create chances. It is curious that they don’t seem to be able to score goals at the moment, and that was pretty much the pattern for this match.
City started in a lively manner, and it was clear that Watford were going to give the home team’s wingers more space than most teams have allowed them this season. In the 18th minute, great wok by Vardy squared the ball for Okazaki, but a defender just beat his slide to the ball and clear – via his own goal post – from four yards out.
City were much the more skilful side but still, as they often do, gave the ball away too often in midfield, and when they did Watford were effective at getting the ball forward. Indeed, after the match I was surprised to read that Schmeichel made seven saves – his second highest total in any match for City; surprised because, with just a couple of exceptions, they were all routine and it never felt likely that Watford would score many. One of those exceptions came on the half hour, when Schmeichel had an excellent reflex save to make from a close range shot after Huth failed to clear his lines, another from a 25-yard shot from City old-boy Cleverly soon after, as Watford had a strong ten minutes.
As the first half progressed, it began to feel more like neither team was playing at quite 100% – the crowd seemed to sense that, too, with far less noise than usual at the King Power (and far fewer away fans than usual, too). That mood was changed when City finally got the goal they deserved. Mahrez’s free kick from twenty yards was deflected by the wall. City worked a training ground move from the corner, Drinkwater taking the ball on the near post; his cross was half-blocked, but eventually fell to Ndidi who smashed it home from ten yards.
The goal ignited the crowd and the City players too, and within a couple of minutes Mahrez was twisting and turning his defender on the edge of the box, only for his shot to be deflected up and onto the top of the cross bar.
The half time score of one-nil was just about deserved.
Into the second half, Okazaki and Vardy payed a well-worked move for Gomez to save Vardy’s low shot well. Eventually City’s increasing pressure paid off, with a goal out of nothing. Mahrez ran on to a ball down the right wing, his defender slipped and the City winger managed to bring the ball far enough inside to more-or-less toe-poke into the goal from a very fine angle.
Having established a two-goal lead, the next phase of the match was played as a game of Attack (City) versus Defence (Watford). Watford, in need of a goal, left spaces all over the pitch and looked simply outclassed by City’s speed in exploiting them.
Okazaki was substituted – as ever – just after 60 minutes. He got a deserved standing ovation – including from the young man from Japan in the row in front of me who had come to the match simply to see his hero play. Slimani came on, and it is noticeable how much better he now is at running hard and chasing down. He is clearly a very different player from Okazaki, but is becoming well-versed in the pressing required for City’s style of play to function. King also came on to replace Drinkwater.
Watford brought Deeney on for Capoue, but City continued to dominate. Vardy forced another good save from Gomez, Slimani should have scored from fifteen yards after a good cut-back from Mahrez and Fuchs chipped a 25-yard free kick just over the bar.
Watford made a couple of late substitutions, bringing on Zuniga and Pereira. They began to get more into the game, with Pereira looking to be a very pacer winger, and Deeney making the team more of a threat than in the first half; they forced Schmeichel into making his final difficult save, tipping over another long-range Cleverley effort.
Gray had also replaced Mahrez. It had been the Algerian’s best game for City for a long time, helped by the number of times that Watford allowed him to be marked by one, at most two players. Many teams this season have simply crowded him out. It was encouraging to see the winger take advantage of the opportunity with a man-of-the-match performance.
The game was petering out into added time when City created a lovely goal to finish with. Gray, under pressure near his own corner flag, found Vardy near the half-way line, the striker carried the ball for 50 yards before un-selfishly tapping it sideways for an unmarked Albrighton to run on to and pick his spot to fire in off the post.
It was a good City performance.
If, as reported, the players now have a taste for European football – and the fans certainly have – then they need to take the momentum of the Shakespeare era into a full campaign, then who knows what might happen?
Leicester: Schmeichel, Simpson, Benalouane’ Huth’ Fuchs, Mahrez, Drinkwater, Ndidi, Albrighton, Okazaki, Vardy. Subs: Chilwell, Musa, King, Amartey, Slimani, Zieler, Gray
Watford: Gomes, Kabasele, Prödl, Mariappa, Amrabat. Cleverley, Doucouré, Capoue, Janmaat, Okaka, Niang. Subs: Deeney, Success, Behrami, Zuñiga, Pantilimon, Eleftheriou, Pereira
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation