Match Report: Sheffield United 1-1 Watford

Watford off the bottom with draw at Sheffield United

Ben Foster saves help Watford draw with Sheffield United

Nigel Pearson praises Ben Foster after Watford draw with Sheffield United

Watford players rated after draw with Sheffield United

Images from Watford’s draw at Sheffield United

Nigel Pearson says he has renewed hope his Watford side can avoid relegation after they moved off the foot of the Premier League table with a draw at Sheffield United.

Pearson praises Hornets for ‘digging deep’ to earn draw

Blades couldn’t find final bit of quality – Wilder

Gerard Deulofeu had given Nigel Pearson’s newly-buoyed side a 27th-minute lead against the run of play, before Oliver Norwood’s spot-kick (36) restored deserved parity for the hosts.

Gerard Deulofeu’s first‑half strike was vital but the heroics of Foster at the other end were equally important. Foster’s form has been a rare highlight throughout a largely miserable season and fittingly his magnificent saves – the pick a sensational point-blank effort to deny John Fleck – ensured their upturn in form continued.

It says plenty about Sheffield United’s season that Watford will see this as a well earned point while Chris Wilder will view it as a chance missed, given that his team have occupied the European places in their fairytale campaign. 

Four days since Manchester United but a very different challenge… the two United’s might occupy similar areas of the table but there’s a world of difference between a vaunted side that’s less than the sum of its parts and a less glamorous opponent fully exploiting theirs, even if it leaves them in the same place.