Brendan Rodgers | OLD WATFORD

This game was given added spice by the announcement five days beforehand that former Watford manager Brendan Rodgers had left Celtic to take over the vacant manager’s job at Leicester City. The Guardian detailed the story of his time at Vicarage Road.

The new Leicester City manager is likely to get a hostile reception at Vicarage Road after an abrupt departure in 2009 but his players remember him warmly

Referee:
Jonathan Moss
Attendance:
20,062

Goal 1

Goal 2

Watford host Leicester City and former manager Brendan Rodgers in the Premier League

Andre Gray scores injury-time winner for Watford against Leicester City

Javi Gracia stresses Watford’s ambition following Leicester City victory

Watford vs Leicester City: Javi Gracia praises contributions of Troy Deeney and Andre Gray

Watford players’ individual performances rated after earning late win against Leicester City

A selection of images from Watford’s victory over Leicester City

Watford’s Andre Gray has dedicated his winning goal against Leicester City to his auntie after her recent death

Troy Deeney has spoken about his understanding with Andre Gray after Watford’s late win over Leicester City

A last-gasp goal from Andre Gray denied Brendan Rodgers his first point as Leicester manager as Watford earned a 2-1 win in the Premier League on Sunday. Rodgers’ debut saw him return to the club where got his first managerial job after being appointed at Leicester on Tuesday, but it was a terrible start for the former Celtic boss as Troy Deeney scored inside five minutes.

Troy Deeney insists there will be no Watford “meltdown” this season after the Hornets continued their impressive campaign with a late victory over Leicester in Brendan Rodgers’ first game in charge of the Foxes.

Watford boss Javi Gracia says his team “deserved” the win after beating Leicester City 2-1 at Vicarage Road, the Spaniard is also pleased with the “ambition” his players continue to show, saying they want “more and more” as the Hornets aim to finish the season strongly.

A late goal from the substitute, Andre Gray, gave Watford all three points as Brendan Rodgers began life at Leicester with a defeat

Among all the accusations that have swirled around since Brendan Rodgers swapped Celtic for Leicester, there has been little suggestion that he picked the easy option. Watford provided an instant crash course in the perpetual uncertainty of the Premier League’s middle third and, when the substitute Andre Gray ran through in added time to send a charged-up Vicarage Road into raptures, it felt like enough to stop even the most incorrigible optimist in their tracks.

Leicester were indebted to Kasper Schmeichel and then Wes Morgan for keeping Watford out from a third-minute free-kick, only to fall behind to another free-kick two minutes later. Gerard Deulofeu curled in the dead ball with such ferocity that Troy Deeney needed only to allow it to skim the top of his head to beat Schmeichel.

The beginning, strictly speaking, is Tuesday’s management announcement in Leicestershire which confirmed that for the third home game in a row we would be facing a former boss. The third of the three home games this calendar year incidentally versus nine away of which only two defeats, a figure distorted by cup draws and Spurs’ stadium nonsense… but these statistics which highlight how well the present incumbent is doing and how the identity and history of the Other Bloke only matters up to a point.

Leicester’s decision to dispense with the services of Claude Puel and appoint Brendan Rodgers meant that this was the third home game in a row in which we would face a former manager. It also ensured a better atmosphere than may have been expected on a Sunday lunchtime as Mr Integrity returned to Vicarage Road.

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The previous month when Reading had sacked Steve Coppell, Rodgers repeatedly denied he was going to leave. His most notable denial was reported in the Watford Observer article shown below. However on this day he walked out of Vicarage Road to take over at the Madjeski. He lasted just over six months and was sacked on the 16th December with Reading 21st in the Championship. The Hornets met Rodgers’ Reading side just once, a 1-1 away draw in September. Most of the chants from the Hornets fans that day referred to his integrity.