A late onslaught on a tired home defence resulted in an equaliser and numerous close misses, but not the third goal that would have given Leeds victory and top position in the Championship. Instead, Watford became only the second league opponent they have failed to beat this calendar year, with the home side twice seizing the lead and maintaining it until the 85th minute, when Mateo Joseph equalised with his first league goal just 25 seconds after coming on as a replacement.
Leeds arrived at Vicarage Road in incredible form, having risen from fourth place at the end of 2023, 17 points behind Leicester and nine behind Ipswich, to first place at the start of the Easter weekend. Since the turn of the year, Leeds has taken 37 of a possible 39 points, while Watford has shed 26 points and a manager, Valérien Ismaël, paying for his side’s poor play earlier in the month.
This was Tom Cleverley’s first home game as interim manager, and he took use of the opportunity to spring a tactical surprise, with Watford starting with a back three and a front two, and dominating much of the first half. While Cleverley spent the international break working on a new formation, Daniel Farke was dealing with a string of disappointments: Connor Roberts, Willy Gnonto, and Ilia Gruev all returned injured, while several others were fatigued, resulting in an underwhelming performance.
“We played this game in the worst possible moment,” he went on to say. “First and foremost, Watford has a new manager, which brings with it new hope and a breath of fresh air. For us, the international break had the worst conceivable outcome. We did not have a single session with the entire team, and you could tell in the first half that we were off rhythm. If there was ever a time when you had a chance to beat us, it is tonight.”