Watford 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur: 5 Talking Points from the goalless draw | Premier League 2019-20

It was a frustrating day for both Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at Vicarage Road in today’s first Premier League fixture, as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw that was equal parts dull, equal parts thrilling at times.

Clear-cut chances were hard to come by for both teams, with Lucas Moura missing the first half’s best one before a couple of extremely close calls – more on those later – for both teams in the second half.

Overall, Hornets boss Nigel Pearson will likely be happier than his counterpart Jose Mourinho with the result, as it gives Watford a valuable point in their fight for survival – while keeping Spurs further away from the all-important Champions League spots.

Here are 5 talking points from the game.

#1 Pussetto saves Watford on his debut

Ignacio Pussetto made an incredible clearance to deny Erik Lamela a winning goal

Despite Watford dominating for great swathes of the game – particularly in the second half – it was Spurs who arguably created the better chances this afternoon, and the closest that Jose Mourinho’s side came to scoring was in the dying minutes of the game, as a nice piece of build-up play led to Serge Aurier sending a low cross into the box. Erik Lamela met the ball and flicked it goalward – but somehow, it didn’t cross the line thanks to a last-gasp clearance from Hornets debutant Ignacio Pussetto.

The Argentine – who was only signed four days ago from Serie A side Udinese – literally got there at the last possible second, as replays seemed to show that the ball had actually crossed the line, only for the Premier League’s goal-line technology to confirm that it was instead seemingly millimetres away.

Incredibly, Nigel Pearson had only sent Pussetto on when the outstanding Ismaila Sarr had to come off due to an injury, meaning that a forced substitution basically rescued a point for the Hornets here. They would’ve been unfortunate to come away with nothing, but stranger things have happened in football. Either way, the debutant made himself into an instant hero today.

#2 Gazzaniga keeps Deeney out

Paulo Gazzaniga's penalty save kept Tottenham in today's match

It was an Argentine player in Ignacio Pussetto that saved Watford today, and the same could also be said for Tottenham, as the Hornets were awarded a penalty midway through the second half, only for Paulo Gazzaniga to make an outstanding save from Troy Deeney’s eventual spot-kick.

For once the decision to award a penalty came with no controversy; a shot from Gerard Deulofeu from just inside the box was clearly blocked by Jan Vertonghen’s hand. The Belgian defender didn’t intend to handle the ball, but his arm was certainly in an unnatural position as he slid in to make the block.

Hornets captain Deeney looked confident when he stepped up, but his penalty was hit too closely to Gazzaniga’s right, and the Spurs keeper made an impressive save, tipping the ball far out of the box too to prevent a potential follow-up.

Tottenham’s #1 – Hugo Lloris – is expected to return from his elbow injury in February, but despite this being his first clean sheet in a Premier League away match, Gazzaniga has performed admirably in the Frenchman’s absence, and today he was able to rescue a point with this penalty save.

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#3 VAR causes controversy again

Etienne Capoue could've seen red for his x-rated challenge on Japhet Tanganga

It seems like every Premier League game sees some kind of controversy involving VAR right now, and today’s match at Vicarage Road was certainly no different. The questionable incident happened in the first half, as a horribly late challenge from former Spurs midfielder Etienne Capoue on young defender Japhet Tanganga somehow went unpunished.

This was simply a terrible and reckless challenge, with the Frenchman lunging over the top of the ball and catching Tanganga on the knee with his studs, but somehow, referee Michael Oliver failed to even book him. It was understandable that Oliver missed the horrific nature of the tackle – his vision was obscured by a number of players – but surely that’s where VAR is supposed to step in?

We’ve all been led to believe that the VAR system is there to prevent clear and obvious errors, and should inform the referee of a potential red card-worthy challenge – and this was certainly one – but instead, Oliver headed to the sidelines only to change the batteries on his headset, a ridiculous situation that somehow took 3 minutes.

It’s worth mentioning that Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was dismissed for a practically identical challenge last against Crystal Palace – and in that instance, VAR upgraded a yellow card to a red one. Quite how Capoue – who has history with poor tackles, as his bad challenge on Wilfried Zaha went viral last year – stayed on the field today is anyone’s guess. Chalk up another mark against VAR.

#4 Watford destined for survival under Pearson

Nigel Pearson has turned Watford's fortunes around

It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago – when Quique Sanchez Flores was fired and Nigel Pearson was installed as his replacement – Watford looked doomed to relegation into the EFL Championship. They were rock bottom of the Premier League, had picked up just one win in their first 17 games, and looked painfully low on confidence.

Pearson picked up a point in his first game in charge and then saw his side lose to Liverpool, but since then, the Hornets have been a team transformed. They’ve picked up 14 points from their last 6 matches, and now find themselves in 16th place in the league.

Today they went toe-to-toe with Tottenham – a side who are supposed to be pushing for a top 4 spot in the Premier League – and outperformed them for portions of the game, ending with almost identical stats in terms of possession and shots on goal. If Troy Deeney had scored his penalty, the Hornets would’ve won, in fact.

People will point to the return of Deeney as being the key factor in Watford’s resurgence, but more than anything, Pearson has made them tricky to beat. By deploying Etienne Capoue and Nathaniel Chalobah – who was barely used by his predecessors – in a double-pivot, Watford’s defence suddenly looks far more robust, giving them a chance against any team.

If they can continue the way they’ve been playing, they will almost certainly stay up – and if they do, Pearson deserves huge credit.

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#5 Spurs look blunted without Kane

With Harry Kane sidelined, could Jose Mourinho deploy Dele Alli as a false #9?

When star striker Harry Kane picked up an ankle injury last season, Tottenham were able to survive and even thrive, but while Son Heung Min was given a lot of credit for his work as almost a pure striker, it’s also worth noting that Mauricio Pochettino’s side were also able to call upon Fernando Llorente at the tip of their attack.

Shorn of Kane due to his hamstring injury, how Jose Mourinho’s team could’ve done with Llorente – who now plays for Napoli - today.

Spurs had their chances; Lucas Moura missed a good one in the first half and Erik Lamela nearly scored late in the second, but for the most part, they simply didn’t create too much, with their attacks often broken up midway through Watford’s half. Most notably, every time they attempted to go direct, Hornets defenders Craig Cathcart and Craig Dawson simply ate the ball up.

That almost certainly would’ve been different had Spurs been able to call upon the injured Kane or the departed Llorente – who coincidentally scored a winner against the Hornets last season. Mourinho has options; he might consider deploying Dele Alli, wasted today in a deeper role, as a false #9 with Son and Moura alongside him, but with the transfer window open it’s clear that Tottenham need to act to bring in a new striker.

That is of course up to Daniel Levy – but if Spurs are to climb into the Champions League spots again, they need to look far sharper than they did today in front of goal.