Watford and Bournemouth ended up sharing the points following the 1-1 draw at Dean Court. It was very much a game of two halves as Bournemouth dominated the first half and Watford looked as though they would grab a second after the break.
However. a draw was probably a fair result based on the game itself, but the statistics indicate that Bournemouth were potentially the better of the two Premier League sides.
The statistics
The teams had a similar amount of shots with Bournemouth having a total of 12 shots compared to Watford’s 11. Yet Heurelho Gomes was the busier of the two goalkeepers given that Bournemouth hit the target 6 times, forcing Gomes into a few good saves. Watford in comparison only managed 2 shots on target, but both of these were clear-cut chances with Odion Ighalo tapping the ball into an empty net and Ikechi Anya being beaten by Artur Boruc in a one on one contest.
Bournemouth also came out on top in both the possession and passing statistics having 54% of the possession and completing 78% of their passes compared to Watford’s figure of 74%. However the Hornets were the better of the two sides when it came to tackling, winning 14 tackles compared to just the eight made by the Cherries.
It is safe to say that the most controversial moment of the game was the one penalty that was awarded when Adam Smith went down in the box to an Etienne Capoue challenge. Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot but Glenn Murray couldn’t covert the penalty due to a Gomes save.
Regardless of all these statistics by far the most important stat is how many goals each team has scored. The game ended with Watford and Bournemouth getting a goal apiece, both sides may have felt as though they could have left with the maximum number of points, however at least neither of them gave up three points to their possible relegation rivals.