Watford 2 Leicester 1: Brendan Rodgers defeated on return to Premier League management

Defeat: Brendan Rodgers handed a reality check on his return to English football
REUTERS

Andre Gray scored an injury-time winner as Watford ensured Brendan Rodgers endured a miserable return to the Premier League and Vicarage Road.

Rodgers, who left Scottish champions Celtic on Tuesday to become Leicester’s new manager, looked as though he had secured a point from his first game back in England in over 1,200 days.

After Troy Deeney had opened the scoring inside five minutes, Jamie Vardy had levelled the match in the 75th minute.

However, two minutes into injury-time, substitute Gray struck what proved to be the winning goal when he slid the ball under Kasper Schmeichel.

It capped off a miserable afternoon for Rodgers, who has now failed to win his opening league game as manager at all five of his clubs in English football.

One of those clubs is Watford and the Vicarage Road fans duly booed Rodgers off as he made his way down the tunnel at the end.

This was a vastly-improved showing from the Hornets compared to their last Premier League match on Wednesday when they were thumped 5-0 by Liverpool.

Javi Gracia surprisingly made just one change from the team that lost that night as Jose Holebas replaced Adam Masina at left-back after completing his two-game suspension.

The Spaniard’s selection appeared to be justified, though, as Watford started like a team with a point to prove.

Indeed they should have been ahead inside three minutes, but Schmeichel pulled off a brilliant point-blank save to deny Adrian Mariappa before Wes Morgan blocked Gerard Deulofeu’s follow-up.

Watford were not to be denied moments later, however, as Deeney rose highest to flick home Deulofeu’s whipped free-kick.

It was no more than the hosts deserved, but after a shaky opening 10 minutes Leicester slowly began to come back into the match.

REUTERS

Vardy was looking typically dangerous on the counter and when he was brought down by Mariappa en route to goal the Foxes were furious the Watford defender got a yellow card instead of a red.

Harvey Barnes was proving just as lively and if Leicester were to find an equaliser it looked as though it would come through him.

Twice in the first-half the forward went close with efforts, but each time the Watford defence held firm to keep him at bay.

Leicester too were managing to keep the Hornets out, who still looked dangerous going forward, and both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Deulofeu had chances to double their lead before half-time.

And it was Doucoure who went close again six minutes after the break when his curling shot from 25 yards was expertly kept out by a full-stretch Schmeichel.

PA

At the other end, Leicester were creating very little and Harry Maguire’s shanked volley from a free-kick summed up how their afternoon was going.

Demarai Gray was thrown on with just under 25 minutes to go to see if he could spark the Foxes into life, but Watford’s defence was holding firm as countless times they got bodies in the way of any shot.

There were living a charmed life at points, however, as demonstrated by Wilfried Ndidi’s cross striking the crossbar when it had evaded everyone.

Watford’s luck finally did run out, though, when Vardy levelled the scores with 15 minutes to go.

Action Images via Reuters

It was a poor goal for the hosts to concede as Youri Tielemans was given all the time in the world to pick out the striker with a through-ball which split the centre-backs.

Buoyed by that Leicester bombed forward in search of a winning goal and they should have won it in the 90th minute, but Morgan could only head James Maddison’s cross wide.

It turned out to be a crucial miss as moments later Watford went up the other end and scored with seconds to go.

Deeney dinked a ball over the top of the Leicester defence and substitute Gray was on hand to slide the ball home

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