Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores cut a forlorn figure after the Hornets fell to a 2-1 defeat against Manchester City at Vicarage Road on Saturday evening, and the Spaniard was quick to suggest that his players deserved more from the game.
Beaten at the last
The home side took the lead midway through the second-half, a Ben Watson in-swinging corner forcing City defender Aleksander Kolorov to head the ball past Joe Hart and into his own goal. Vicarage Road was rocking and it seemed the Hornets were set for another surprise three points.
Yet all their great football - and at times a dominating display - counted for nought as two late City goals - first from Yaya Touré and then Sergio Agüero - within just two minutes of each other, stunned the crowd and broke Watford's resiliance.
Hard to swallow
"We played fantastic, we played really well"
- Quique Sanchez Flores
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Flores described the result as "very hard to accept". The Hornets boss went on the praise his players, saying they played "fantastic", suggesting that for the most part his side had "control" of the match. In a season where Watford have exceeded expectations and played some wonderful football, it was high praise indeed to hear Flores say that it was "impossible" for his team to play any better than they did against Manuel Pellegrini's side.
Flores pointed to the fact that the Hornets "created more attempts" than their opponents and had chances "up until the last moment", but the result means that Watford slip to successive Premier League defeats for the first time since November.
Watford have conceded late goals in each of their last three defeats - against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and now City, something that Flores described as "completely unlucky". Despite this, Flores urged his players to "accept" the nature of their defeats and "learn the lessons for the future", even if he struggles to do so himself, saying it is "very hard" to accept the loss because his players "deserved more".
Flores concluded by suggesting the importance of moving quickly forward as soon as possible, and thinking about the next game - an FA Cup third round tie at home to Newcastle United.
