ADRIAN MARIAPPA’S moment of madness cost Watford a crucial three points.
Mariappa, one of football’s increasing number of vegans, made meaty but needless contact with a late cross by Brighton substitute Alireza Jahanbakhsh to cancel out Abdoulaye Doucoure’s first-half stunner.
Mariappa didnt know of the lack of attackers when netting the levellerCredit: Reuters
Jahanbakhsh celebrated putting the cross in for the goalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Watford will be hugely disappointed not to have held on for a victory that would have taken them out of the bottom three. But Brighton probably deserved to avoid defeat after giving a much better second-half performance.
Head coach Graham Potter’s substitutions paid off in a match which neither side could afford to lose but neither did enough to win as the nervous battle down the bottom approaches the business end of the season.
It’s easy to forget how important football really is in the grand scheme of things.
But what looked like a classic, crucial relegation six-pointer had been put into perspective by the bereavements suffered by the two head coaches.
Brighton’s Potter had spoken frankly about the recent loss of his father, just months after the death of his mother.
And Nigel Pearson revealed in a wide-ranging interview that he was trying to guide Watford out of trouble while also attempting to come to terms with the sudden passing of his mum early in the New Year.
English football may have finally granted its personnel a winter break, but grief is not so forgiving and you can only admire those who find a way to carry on with their public duties while nursing private pain.
This was the reverse fixture of an opening day clash that had supposedly set the tone for how the season would go for both teams.
For Watford, in a sense it had. The 3-0 defeat at Vicarage Road set alarm bells ringing and although Pearson, the third head coach of the campaign, had enjoyed an excellent start to his reign, the team was second from bottom at the start of play.
Conversely, Brighton’s victory back in August, and the manner of it, had suggested it was onwards and upwards for the Seagulls.
The safety-first, staid football that had cost Chris Hughton his job would be banished in favour of an attractive, progressive style that would take the club to the next level.
But a run of just one win in 10 Premier League games had put them back in a familiar position: trying to survive.
That said, the previous weekend’s comeback from 2-0 and 3-1 down at West Ham, to draw 3-3, appeared to have boosted Brighton’s confidence initially.
They started quickly, enjoying plenty of possession and territory without creating a clear-cut chance from open play.
And inside 20 minutes they fell behind to Watford’s first proper attack of a scrappy opening period.
Doucoure produced a fierce effort to open the scoringCredit: PA:Empics Sport
The scorer celebrated his strike with Nigel PearsonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Aaron Mooy’s pass was cut out by Etienne Capoue but the Australian could reasonably have expected his team-mates to do more to make up for his mistake.
Instead Doucoure was allowed to run from close to the halfway line all the way to the edge of the penalty area before sending a lovely curling shot past Maty Ryan.
Brighton’s pursuit of an equaliser was unconvincing and when they did cause the visitors trouble, the ball just wouldn’t run for them.
Solly March forced Ben Foster into a nervous parry but it fell to right back Ezequiel Schelotto, who was having a tough time defending and not the man you’d want on the end of a half-chance.
The man you would, Glenn Murray, was poised to connect with a Leandro Trossard cross, but Craig Cathcart made a timely interception.
The home side and crowd were becoming desperate even before half-time, when their appeal for a penalty after a collision between Schelotto and Gerard Deulofeu was rightly turned down by referee Kevin Friend and VAR Andre Marriner.
A long passage of play early in the second half summed up Brighton’s struggles. They kept the ball for more than a minute, but it was moving sideways and backwards more than forwards as Watford kept their shape with 11 men behind the ball.
When Schelotto finally had the chance to hit a cross, it was too close to Foster.
Potter had soon seen enough. Off came Dan Burn, with Solly March asked to fill in at left back, and on went Neal Maupay to offer Murray some help up front.
Brighton still couldn’t get a sight of goal but were at least building pressure as Watford were trapped in their own half and reduced to taking yellow cards to snuff out threats.
Watford seemed to have blown their best chance when their best bit of football left Mooy one on one with Foster and the Watford goalkeeper made a fine save with his left foot. But moments later Mariappa scored the equaliser.
The Watford defender no doubt thought that Murray was on his shoulder as Jahanbakhsh sent a cross fizzing to the back post
Yet he could simply have left the ball rather than applying a finish of which Murray would have been proud.
Five minutes of stoppage time did not produce an opportunity for a winner that neither side would have deserved.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
