After showing great resilience to earn a draw against Arsenal, having been two goals down, the faithful were more than happy to see the return of a familiar face
Is it still called a “new manager bounce” when the manager is not particularly new? Whatever this was, it had Vicarage Road feeling far better about things and Watford looking considerably more akin to their old selves. From the jaws of defeat came what, on the basis of a ferocious assault on Arsenal’s goal in the second half, felt by the end like a 2-2 thrashing. Quique Sánchez Flores came back for afternoons like this and the home support, numbed by the atrophy of late-era Javi Gracia, would happily get used to more of them.
“Calm down, calm down,” Flores gesticulated to his players in added time, which came to an unwelcome close in the throes of a finale packed with barely credible levels of incident. He was concerned Watford were about to let their good work slip, with Joe Willock having failed to spot a fine opportunity to play Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in for the winner.
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