Christian Kabasele in action for Watford. (Getty Images)
Watford continued their fine run of form in the Premier League as the Hornets held Fulham to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage. The Hornets took the lead only ninety seconds into the game when Andre Gray latched on to Will Hughes’ through ball and guided it past Marcus Bettinelli to give the away side the perfect start to the match.
Watford took advantage of some shaky defending from the home side and dominated the first half. However, the Cottagers clawed their way back into the game after Slavisa Jokanovic made some substitutions at the interval to plug the holes at the back. Fulham had the lion’s share of possession in the second half but had nothing to show for their efforts till the 78th minute, as Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in from close range to give the home side a much-needed equalizer.
Fulham continued to throw caution to the winds and the Cottagers could have won it at the end but Mitrovic’s header bounced off the crossbar. Watford defended with a lot of character in the dying stages of the match to bag a point. The draw keeps Watford 4th in the league standings with 13 points from 6 games.
Ben Foster (6/10)
He did not have much to do as Fulham did not have too many clear scoring opportunities; made a good save in the first half to deny an equalizer. He was hardly at fault for the goal.
Daryl Janmaat (6.5/10)
The Dutchman impressed with his movement up and down the pitch. Got forward with purpose and linked the play well but the end product wasn’t anything significant. He should have done more to prevent the cross which led to the equalizer.
Craig Cathcart (7/10)
The Irishman had another good day in the heart of the defence and did a fine job against Mitrovic and company. Showed a lot of strength and made some solid blocks.
Christian Kabasele (8/10)
The Belgian had a wonderful day in the heart of the defence, often utilizing his strength to keep Mitrovic at bay for most of the game. Showed good agility and presence of mind to cover for Jose Holebas, whenever the left-back ventured forward.
Jose Holebas (6.5/10)
The 34-year-old was good with his set-pieces and made some good challenges at the back. Ventured forward and tried to make things happen but often left open spaces at the back for the opposition to exploit.
Abdoulaye Doucoure (6.5/10)
The Frenchman had a decent game in the heart of the midfield. He made some good interceptions to break the play and carried the ball forward with purpose.
Etienne Capoue (6.5/10)
He did not make many mistakes and kept the ball ticking in the midfield. He controlled the tempo of the game and switched the play with some accurate passing.
Will Hughes (7.5/10)
The Englishman was a lively presence down the right and looked dangerous going forward. He linked up well with the strikers and set up Gray for the first goal.
Roberto Pereyra (6/10)
Not a particularly good day at the office for the Argentine. He got forward but struggled to get into the game at times. And even when he got into good positions, he was poor with his shooting.
Andre Gray (7.5/10)
He posed threat in the attacking third and was at the right place to get at the end of Hughes’ through ball to score the opening goal. He used his strength well to shield the ball and linked up well with his teammates.
Troy Deeney (6.5/10)
Not the best of days at the office for the prolific No.9. He did a good job to win the ball on multiple occasions and linked well with the other attackers but lacked that final spark.
Played a more defensive role down the right but did not make much of an impact.
Isaac Success (5/10)
The Nigerian was lively in the final third and had a crack at the goal.
Ken Sema (N/A)
Had little time to do anything.