Watford head coach Valerien Ismael hailed his players for holding on for a point from a 1-1 draw with Stoke despite Vakoun Bayo’s 52nd-minute dismissal.
Striker Bayo was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball clash with Potters defender Luke McNally.
The pair initially tussled for the ball and both ended up on the turf – but when they picked themselves up referee Scott Oldham was convinced he saw Bayo strike McNally as play continued elsewhere.
Hornets fans stuck with their side afterwards – and gave referee Oldham a hard time throughout.
“With 10 men we played some great football,” Ismael said. “The spirit was unbelievable in the stadium – for the first time this season I got some goosebumps. The fans gave us a lot of energy.
“I’m proud of my players because they stayed calm and showed great fighting spirit.”
Ismael agreed with the home fans’ assessment that Oldham had lost control of the contest.
“Everyone got that feeling tonight that something was wrong,” he said. “It was difficult to manage all the emotion because it was not only the players, it was all over the place.”
Oldham showed a yellow card to Ismael for dissent in the first half.
“My feeling was of injustice,” the manager said. “I know I have a job to do on the sidelines, to be an example, but I am human.”
Stoke head coach Steven Schumacher admitted his players had failed to capitalise on the red card but reckoned the decision itself was routine.
“I just saw the two lads clash on the floor, I don’t know what Scott’s seen,” he said. “It was a decision that went for us but the momentum of the game changed. Unfortunately we didn’t make the most of it.
“I’m sick of talking about referees – I’ve been on the end of a few mad decisions as well. It’s part and parcel of football – it’s what happens.”
Jake Livermore put Watford ahead in the 15th minute, bundling home from close range from a corner to celebrate his first goal for the Hornets.
Ryan Mmaee’s fine strike levelled the scores in the 34th minute and despite chances for both sides before and after Bayo’s departure there was no further scoring.
The draw extended Stoke’s unbeaten run to five matches, three of which have been under Schumacher, who replaced Alex Neil on December 19. The Potters are 19th, seven points clear of the relegation places.
“We showed some good character, especially after going 1-0 down from a set-piece,” he said. “That was a disappointment but we responded really well.
“It was a great finish from Ryan. It was a goal he deserved. He has led the line really well in the last three games.
“At half-time I said to the players that the game was there for the taking if we continued to play with some energy and show more quality in their box.
“Unfortunately, especially when they went to 10 men, we just didn’t have that killer pass that would have been the difference.
“It wasn’t a poor performance but you could see there were some tired bodies out there.”
The result left Watford in 10th place, four points off the play-offs, but the draw was an upgrade on Boxing Day’s 4-1 home loss to Bristol City.
“From minute one we were much better than Tuesday,” Ismael said.
Juve must play at their limits against in-form Lille, warns Motta
Thiago Motta stressed the importance of Juventus playing at their very best when they face Lille in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Juve face a tough task against a side who have already upset Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in this season's competition.
This will be the first ever meeting between these teams.
However, Juve have lost three of their last four Champions League matches against French opponents (W1), including both against Paris Saint-Germain in the 2022-23 campaign. and Motta warned against any complacency.
"All matches are important. We, as Juventus, always want to win. The most important thing is always trying to improve," Motta told reporters on Monday.
"Lille are very confident, and we want to face them in optimal condition. We aim to give more than our maximum.
"There are no favourites in a match. It's a beautiful game, in a beautiful stadium, and we hope the pitch will be in good condition tomorrow. We can only talk tomorrow about who played better."
Motta will have midfielder Douglas Luiz from injury, but is still without a glut of players.
"He's [Luiz] one more player who can help the team. We’ll be missing Arek [Arkadiusz Milik], Gleison [Bremer] and [Nicolas Gonzalez]."
Lille boss Bruno Genesio knows Juve will present a stern test for his team, despite their shock wins over the Madrid clubs this term.
"Every Champions League match is different, but there is one essential parameter to get a result - commitment," he said.
"Like all Italian teams, Juventus are very well organised, very difficult to play against. Having already achieved two big results in this competition, we are going to give it our all again and we have our fans who will give us strength."
Jonathan David will be one of the standout Lille players Juve have to keep a close eye on.
The Canada international has scored six goals in his last eight Champions League appearances for Lille.
Lille have won all five games he has scored in but have not won any of the six games he has featured in without scoring (D2 L4).
Gyokeres rated above Haaland by Sporting captain Hjulmand
Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand hailed his team-mate Viktor Gyokeres as a superior striker to Erling Haaland ahead of Tuesday's clash with Manchester City.
Sporting, who will lose head coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United next week, face the Red Devils' fierce rivals in their fourth Champions League game of the season.
That contest will pit two in-form Scandinavian strikers against one another as Sweden international Gyokeres takes on Norway superstar Haaland.
Gyokeres has been a revelation since swapping Coventry City for Sporting last season, scoring 34 goals in the Portuguese top flight this calendar year.
That is more than double the figure managed by the competition's next-most prolific player, with Porto's Galeno netting 16 times.
Gyokeres' haul has come from an expected goals (xG) figure of 28.17, while his shot conversion rate of 27.9% also dwarfs that of nearest rival Galeno (19.5%) and he has scored 31 of 47 big chances in 2024.
His 61.2% big-chance conversion rate is the second-best of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues, behind Jan Kliment, who has managed a 75% ratio for Czech side Sigma Olomouc.
As Gyokeres prepares to do battle with Haaland, who has 11 goals in 10 Premier League games this term, he has received a glowing endorsement from his skipper.
Asked which striker was the better player at Monday's pre-match press conference, Hjulmand said: "Gyokeres, because he plays for Sporting."
Outgoing boss Amorim, meanwhile, knows Sporting's financial position means they will one day cash in on the Swede, who has been linked with several Premier League clubs.
"I don't know Sporting's plans, but if the right offer arrives they will have to sell," Amorim said on Monday.
"He is an athlete who is at his peak and can give a lot, both in terms of money to his club, and income to the future club".
Gyokeres already has 16 league goals for Sporting this season, the most of any player in Europe's top 10 leagues ahead of Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski, who has 14.
Haaland is tied for third place, alongside Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.
Gyokeres has also been directly involved in 10 goals in 12 appearances for Sporting in European competitions (seven goals, three assists), scoring on all four of his European starts at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.
He still has some way to go to match the Champions League exploits of Haaland, though.
The City talisman has been directly involved in 49 goals in 42 appearances in the competition (44 goals, five assists).
If he scores or assists on Tuesday, he will become the fastest player to 50 goal contributions in the competition's history (43), overtaking Ruud van Nistelrooy for fewest appearances to reach that figure (45).
Arsenal sporting director Edu steps down
Arsenal have confirmed Edu has resigned from his role as the club's sporting director.
Edu, a former Arsenal player who was part of the "Invincibles" squad in the 2003-04 season, has been involved in the behind-the-scenes running of the Gunners since July 2019.
He first returned to the club as technical director, and was promoted to sporting director in November 2022.
Edu has played a key role in supporting Mikel Arteta, and helping the Spaniard transform the Gunners into Premier League title contenders.
Reports emerged on Monday, however, that the Brazilian was quitting his role, with speculation mounting that he will be joining Evangelos Marinakis' footballing organisation - the Greek magnate owns Nottingham Forest and Olympiakos.
"This was an incredibly hard decision to make," Edu said in a statement released on Arsenal's website.
"Arsenal has given me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and the chance to be a part of something so special in the club’s history. It has been a special journey.
"I've loved working with so many great colleagues across our men’s, women’s and academy teams, especially Mikel, who has become a great friend.
"Now it is time to pursue a different challenge. Arsenal will always remain in my heart. I wish the club and its supporters only good things and all the very best."
The news comes after Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday to leave them seven points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal face Inter in the Champions League on Wednesday.
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