Watford were held to a goalless draw at Vicarage Road in an improved defensive display against Sheffield United, but will be left ruing missed opportunities as they continue to await their first league win of the season.

Story of the match

Watford came into the game on the back of 19 games without a clean-sheet and only Crystal Palace in 2017-18 (-17) have had a worse goal difference after seven Premier League matches than the Hornets' -16 this term. However, with a new look back three of Craig Cathcart, Christian Kabasele and the re-introduction of Sebastian Prödl - in his first league start since April 2018 - it was to be Sheffield United who took early advantage at an anxious Vicarage Road.

An unchanged United started stronger. Watford, having conceded a league-high four goals in the opening 10 minutes of Premier League games this season - as many as they conceded in the same timeframe in the whole of 2018-19 - were under pressure on both flanks, as John Fleck dictated the tempo and found space between Watford’s midfield five. However, as Quique Sanchez Flores called for more effort and a more compact back nine, Watford grew into the game.

In the ninth minute, Andre Gray missed a golden opportunity to score from six yards as Roberto Pereyra chased a loose Tom Cleverley ball down the right-hand side. Without pressure, Pereyra carried the ball 15 yards into the box before feeding an anxious and unbalanced Gray, who struck high and wide. The replays suggest that there might have been a hint of offside for the striker but he wasn’t to know and the linesman’s flag never came to save his blushes.

It didn’t get any better for Gray in the first-half. In the 21st minute, with Watford breaking into a four-on-two and with the whole Sheffield United half to play into, his pass forwards went to no-one in particular and another opportunity went begging for the Hornets.

This was to be the story of the first-half. Both teams created opportunities, with Cleverley and Pereyra particular thorns in the Sheffield United side, but to no avail as both defences held strong.

In the second-half, Watford came out the stronger and faster.

In the 49th minute, Danny Welbeck sprinted clear from 40 yards into the Sheffield United box but could only find the arms of the formidable Dean Henderson in a one-on-one from 10 yards as yet another Watford chance went missing. The groans and questions of whether the goal the Hornets deserved would ever come were audible from every corner of the ground.

The game then fell into a rhythm of end-to-end play without either team creating much in the way of a clear-cut chance.

That was until the 91st minute as Gerard Deulofeu swung in a deep free-kick into the 6-yard box. Substitute Craig Dawson sailed high, unchallenged, and looked to have stolen the points for a Watford side badly needing a boost of something, anything. But it wasn’t to be. Henderson again got down low and smartly palmed the ball away from safety.

That was to be that as the boos rang out at full-time, with neither side able to find a winner. Watford remain bottom but can take some defensive hope from the performance, if not attacking confidence.

Takeaways from the match

Glimmers of a Defensive Renaissance

Not quite a defensive masterclass by Watford but worlds apart from previous league displays in what was, ultimately, a hard-earned clean-sheet, the side’s first in 20 league matches. It is something worth appreciating and shows that Flores may be able to get the squad to where he wants them to be.

Jose Holebas will not remember this as his finest display in yellow, and will be glad it is all over after an, at times, torrid first-half against George Baldock and Chris Basham down the left hand side. However, he held his own in a much improved defensive display in the second half and will be buoyed by his improvement.

Kabasele, in particular, was a standout performer for the Hornets, one step ahead of Sheffield United’s Callum Robinson and providing much needed calmness of mind in the Watford defence. Prödl can also be proud of his performance over 55 minutes. His afternoon was cut short by a hamstring injury and he struct a disconsolate figure as he was replaced by Dawson, however his head can be held high as he worked closely with Kabasele and Cathcart in a resolute defensive display against a young and vibrant Blades frontline.

Dawson had a much more solid display in the middle of defence once he was introduced. Sitting between Kabasele and Cathcart, Dawson struck a composed and physical character, the type of player the Pozzos were certainly hoping for when signing him in the summer. Against a backdrop of inconsistent and error-stricken performances, Dawson took his unlikely opportunity and will be a strong contender for a starting place if Prödl’s injury is as bad as feared.

A right-hand side midfield bias

A side of midfield familiar to Watford fans but in a more disciplined structure. In the first half, everything creative came down Watford’s right side.

Crosses flew in from Daryl Janmaat, Cleverley and Pereyra as they overlapped each other, moved the ball quickly and delivered cross after cross into a congested Sheffield United box.

Over the course of the 90 minutes, Watford delivered 16 crosses in the box of varying quality, winning a further seven corners. If not for a few last ditch clearances and deflections, they could well have found themselves ahead and out of sight before half-time.

As it was, Chris Wilder realised the bias before it was too late and Sheffield United stretched the Watford midfield by switching the play and pushing Fleck and Jack O’Connell forward. In doing so, Wilder neutralised Watford’s right-sided threat.

Flores tried to respond in kind. Deulofeu and Ismaïla Sarr were brought on to counter-attack. However, by Deulofeu being given creative freedom to switch flanks, he, in turn, brought additional defenders with him and Abdoulaye Dourcouré, making his 100th league start, was unable to exploit the extra space as he marauded forward. It was all too little too late as Sheffield United held on for what Flores called a “fair” result but Watford fans will be left wondering what could have been if they had a more clinical strike-force.

Andre Gray: an afternoon to forget

It started so brightly for Watford’s number 18, making his 100th Premier League start as he was preferred to Deulofeu.

Initially, Gray looked threatening. He found lots of space amongst a deep and inviting Sheffield United backline. However, it was to end in acrimonious fashion as he was replaced by Deulofeu after 58 minutes following a string of misses that a striker with even an ounce of confidence would have buried. Gray will have no excuses as he rushed  his passes, panicked near goal, and generally looked like a man who would rather be anywhere other than in Hertfordshire.

Gray’s attacking colleagues fared no better in a match that saw at least three big chances go begging. Welbeck will be wondering how he didn’t put Watford ahead from 10 yards in the second half, and Dawson will be waking up in sweats following his missed opportunity in stoppage time. However, there were further concerns as Sarr failed to provide an edge to Watford’s forward line and Deulofeu, for all his ability and skill, equally drew a blank as Watford failed to score for the fifth time this season.

Stand-out players

Kabasele might not be the popular choice but was a rare rock in Watford’s often frail defence.

Tenacious, feisty, physical, everything a Watford fan dreams of in a modern defender, but he also read the game well, one step ahead of his opponents.

In a defence that made eight interceptions, two blocks, 34 clearances and won 53.1% of aerial duals, Kabasele showed confidence and leadership qualities with and without the ball, keeping his peers closer and his opposition forwards even closer. It is telling that Sheffield United had no clear cut chances, and were restricted to only three shots on target.

Of the first-half, Flores complained that his defence sat “too deep”, inviting Sheffield United on to them. In the second half, Kabasele took responsibility and raised that line. He was resolute in his structure and discipline.

Flores described the defensive performance as “the first time” his side has “performed well” and whilst he found the boos tough to take, he asserted that there are lots of positives to take from his side’s performance.

“It’s a clean-sheet, we can improve of course, we had the best chances… but a draw is fair.”

With an elusive clean-sheet under his belt, Flores has finally a foundation on which to build, and build he shall. In his own words, his next test is to “build attacking confidence”.

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