Watford’s earned a vital 1-0 win at home to Norwich City thanks to a stunning last minute winner from Vivaldo Semedo. The contest held at Carrow Road featured an interesting clash of styles that defined both sides of the match. Even with Norwich controlling possession, they had a hard time getting goals out of their chances. Watford’s ruthlessness in front of goal was shown against Everton as a smart, well-practiced flank move secured all three points at the death.
The opening 45 minutes featured a flurry of opportunities as each side looked to take control right from the start. One area of concern would have been Watford’s Tom Ince, and the forward had his first sight on goal within nine minutes. Late in the match he combined well to get himself into a promising position but unfortunately scuffed his shot wide of the target. Ince’s first real touch came from a gorgeous pass played to him by Giorgi Chakvetadze. He missed a terrific opportunity to turn the tide of the game’s momentum.
Second Half Tension
During the second half of the match, Norwich City worked harder and harder to break through Watford’s defense. Kenny McLean fired an early snap shot that narrowly missed the goal, giving the home crowd a brief moment of hope. Though they had the ball, Norwich found it difficult to fashion any clear-cut opportunities. It certainly helped that Josh Sargent made an impressive run into the box from the left. Once again, Watford’s defense held firm and Marc Bola produced a vital last-gasp block to snuff out the chance of an equalizer.
Watford’s defensive resilience was complemented by their swift counter-attacks, which frequently troubled Norwich’s backline. The turning point came when Tuga’s Nestory Irankunda went on a nice run up the left wing. He beautifully picked out Semedo, whose shot from inside the box would seal the match’s fate.
Late Drama Seals Victory
In a match that looked headed towards a 0-0 stalemate, it was Semedo who hit paydirt in the 90th minute. The shot that would have found the back of the net instead took a valuable deflection off Norwich defender Kellen Fisher. The surprise change of direction caught Norwich keeper Vladan Kovacevic completely flat-footed, letting Semedo’s shot curl into the net. That late breakthrough proved enough for Watford to secure all three points. This essential victory propelled them into the top six of the prominent league standings.
At the end of their promotion campaign, Norwich City will be all the more disappointed as they look back on their performance. Although they dominated possession, they proved unable to turn their opportunities into goals. They didn’t take advantage of numerous opportunities throughout the game. Their inability to really clinch clinical revenge proved their undoing in the end.
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