Watford Breezed Passed Huddersfield Thanks To FA Cup Semi-Final Hero Gerard Deulofeu! Match Highlights. Player Ratings. Comments, And Stats.
By: Marc Gingell
Watford’s FA Cup Semi-Final super-sub Gerard Deulofeu struck twice at Huddersfield as well as Watford chase a Europa League place.
Match Details
| 20-04 | John Smith’s Stadium | Huddersfield Town (20) | 1-2 | Watford (8) |
| KO:15:00 | ATT: 23,957 | Karlan Grant 90+3′ | Gerard Deulofeu 5′, 80′ | |
| REF: R East | ||||
Gerard Deulofeu
Born in Riudarenes, Spain, 25 year old Gerard Deulofeu began his career with Barcelona playing 68 games for the B side between 2011 and 2013. For the A team, with Lionel Messi, etc. he made two appearances before joining Everton on loan where he scored three goals in 25 games. Next up came a loan spell with Seville where he scored one goal in 17 games.
Everton went back in for him in July 2015 and this time they signed him for a reported fee of £4.2 million. Less than two years later, after not impressing with two goals in 37 appearances, Everton loaned him to A.C. Milan where he scored four goals in 17 appearances. At the end of June 2017, Barcelona activated his buy-back clause and he went on to score one goal in ten appearances.
Next up came a loan spell with Watford, one goal in seven games, and six months later he became a Watford player for a reported fee of £13 million. Discounting his Barcelona B early days he’s played 66 games on loan and 75 games as a real full-time signing.
Hitting The Headlines
This season Deulofeu has nine Premier League goals and five assists. He scored a hat-trick at Cardiff, as Watford won 5-0, and his first in the FA Cup Semi-Final goal will go down as one of the best seen at Wembley in a semi-final.
His first against Huddersfield came after only five minutes after Huddersfield lost the ball in midfield. As it broke to Deulofeu, on the left and just inside the box, he toyed with the defender in front of him before side-footing into the corner off the post. It was a touch of magic that totally bamboozled Huddersfield’s defence.
Seventy-five minutes later came goal number two as he tapped in after Huddersfield keeper Jonas Lössl had saved from Abdoulaye Doucouré.
Karlan Grant, who joined Huddersfield in the January Transfer window, pulled one back in the 90+ 3rd minute but it was way too late.
Player Ratings
Huddersfield: Lossl (6), Smith (6), Kongolo (7), Schindler (6), Durm (6), Mooy (7), Bacuna (6), Hogg (4), Mbenza (7), Mounie (5), Kachunga (5)
Subs: Daly (7), Lowe (6), Grant (7)
Watford: Foster (7), Cathcart (7), Mariappa (8), Masina (7), Doucoure (7), Capoue (7), Femenia (7), Hughes (7), Sema (7), Gray (6), Deulofeu (8)
Subs: Success (7)
Man of the match: Gerard Deulofeu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDFPK5j3Ck8
Opta Stats
- Huddersfield Town have lost 14 home Premier League games this season, a joint-record in the competition’s history (also 14 for Sunderland in 2002-03 and 2005-06).
- Watford have won six away Premier League games this season, only winning more in a top-flight season in 1983-84 under Graham Taylor (seven).
- Huddersfield have lost 21 of their last 23 matches in all competitions (W1 D1 L21), losing 11 of their 12 games under manager Jan Siewert (W1 D0 L11).
- Gerard Deulofeu has scored six goals in his last five Premier League away games for Watford.
- Huddersfield have won none of the 45 Premier League matches in which they’ve conceded the first goal (W0 D3 L42), losing all 19 at the John Smith’s Stadium when conceding first.
- In all competitions, Gerard Deulofeu has scored eight goals and assisted two more in his last nine appearances for Watford.
- Huddersfield midfielder Juninho Bacuna has started 15 matches for the Terriers in all competitions this season and ended on the losing side in all 15.
- Since his Premier League debut for Huddersfield Town on February 2nd, Karlan Grant has scored four league goals – no other Terriers player has scored more than once in that time.
If you have any questions or comments please follow the links below. And, if you would like to like or share, that would be appreciated. Thank you.
