Watford kept within touching distance of the playoffs with a 1-1 draw at home to Portsmouth thanks to a late Mamadou Doumbia leveller. The Hornets will be looking to keep the pace up with a win at Blackburn Rovers tomorrow afternoon.
Watford really didn’t look clinical enough in the match on Wednesday night; however, they had some bright spells towards the end of the first half.
Neither side had any real chance at goal, with Portsmouth dominating the possession.
Watford came out the more threatening after making a double change, with Mattie Pollock replaced due to injury, with Kevin Keben coming on, and a tactical switch in the number ten role whilst Mamadou Doumbia came on for Giorgi Chakvetadze.
Watford dominated the early exchanges; however, again, it really never looked likely to score.
Against the run of play, Portsmouth took the lead first in the second half, after a Jeremy Ngakia error led to Chaplin taking the ball and Segecic being in the right place at the right time to get the visitors in front.
Watford responded well, however, in a matter of six minutes, when Mamadou Doumbia fired home into an empty net after a cross from the right-hand side, which keeper Schmidt failed to claim, allowing Doumbia to pounce on it.
This saw the two sides both earn well-needed points, with Portsmouth climbing out of the relegation zone and Watford moving within touching distance of returning to those play-off spots.
The sides are both in very different positions, with pressure mounting on Valérien Ismaël with his side sat just inside the relegation zone in 22nd place, a point from safety.
A win could see them climb as high as 19th with a win.
Javi Gracias’ Watford, meanwhile, sit just outside the playoffs in seventh position with a win potentially able to move them up to sixth position if Preston lose or draw to Middlesbrough tomorrow.
The hosts won the reverse fixture 0-1 in a narrow victory at Vicarage Road thanks to a goal from Morishita right after half-time.
Watford have failed to win at Ewood Park since the 2023/24 season where two late goals from Rhys Healey and Mileta Rajovic secured the Hornets the points.
