Watford take the lead twice against at Vicarage Road through goals from Vakoun Bayo and Emmanuel Dennis but Leeds United battle back for a point.
The four-month wait for a league home win may go on but the mood around Vicarage Road is totally different after a performance to be thoroughly proud of was enough to secure a 2-2 draw against automatic promotion-chasing Leeds United in Tom Cleverley’s first home game as interim head coach.
Gone was the slow sideways and backwards passing that increasingly blighted so many of the first-half displays at home towards the end of the Valerien Ismael era. There were still times when Watford looked to build from the back, but the tempo was quicker with progressive intent. Ultimately, Leeds’ increasing control of the ball was rewarded when Mateo Joseph equalised moments after coming off the bench - and it needed a fine Daniel Bachmann save to stop the visitors from scoring a likely winner soon after.
Leeds came into the game in superb form, winning their last three games without conceding and looking to extend a 13-game unbeaten run that had taken them top of the Championship at the start of the day.Liam Cooper, Daniel James and Sam Byram came into the starting line-up, Junior Firpo dropped to the bench but Wilfried Gnonto and Ilia Gruev were ruled out through injury.
Watford then had a claim for a penalty turned down when Ethan Ampadu got Yaser Asprilla’s foot, rather than the ball, when he sought to get on the end of a low Andrews delivery from the right, but Webb immediately waved away any appeals. But Watford’s lead was to last only six minutes courtesy of a moment of brilliance from a young Dutchman following a slice of good fortune.
But that was positivity was to be rewarded again – and in some style two minutes before the interval. Watford had the first opportunity of the second period when Asprilla played in a corner from the right and Pollock lent back to head wide of the near post. Farke made his first change five minutes later with Firpo replacing Cooper, moments after an Asprilla corner from the left had fallen invitingly for Kayembe at the far post, but his attempted volley went high in the air rather than towards the target. Although the hosts kept the ball alive, it ultimately came to nothing.
The home side were still in front though, and Farke rolled the dice again in the 84th minute, bringing on Jadon Anthony and Joseph for Byram and Glen Kamara.Once again Summerville was heavily involving, showing Andrews a clean pair of heels as he burst into the air before laying the ball across the area where Joseph’s first effort was blocked by Porteous. Lewis slid in to try and clear but was unlucky to see the ball hit the substitute and rebound past Bachmann to make it 2-2.
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