Valerien Ismael revealed that Wesley Hoedt’s stunning goal which earned Watford a 2-1 win at Hull was perfected on the training ground.
The Hornets captain seized possession just over the halfway line before having the awareness to lob Ryan Allsop in an extraordinary moment of ingenuity on 74 minutes.
Ismael said: “Their goalkeeper has a massive part in their build-up and we know that some teams like Leicester and Hull play with high risk.
“I’m surprised by the quality and the technique, but the goal was not a surprise.
“We work on those patterns on the training ground. We know every time the ball went through the middle we had to defend aggressively and that was what happened.
“As soon as we win the ball high up we tell all the defenders ‘try it, try it’.
“If you see it on the TV, you could see Wesley knew what he was doing.
“It’s not a surprise because we worked on this one.”
In-form Watford have lost just once in nine games and are now three points off the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.
Ismael’s men opened the scoring after eight minutes through Edo Kayembe, who controlled Jamal Lewis’ good cross from the left before striking past an unsighted Allsop.
Hull, who remain in the top six, equalised two minutes later when Scott Twine swept home after Liam Delap’s brilliant run into the box was stopped by Hoedt.
An end-to-end game, in which the hosts had the better chances, could have gone the other way had Jaden Philogene not missed a second-half penalty.
Philogene’s weak spot-kick, awarded after former Hull midfielder Jake Livermore clumsily upended Jacob Greaves, was saved by Ben Hamer on the hour.
The Tigers had a clutch of good chances thereafter but never did enough to force an equaliser once Hoedt stunned the MKM Stadium.
Ismael said: “We are pleased with the improvement and the stability we have now got with the team.
“It’s been a long process and we had to start from the beginning.
“We are now more ready – tactically, physically and mentally. We are ready for the competition now.
“If you win games with consistency you can start to plug the gap at the top of the league.
“The second half was a different game. The first half was really, really good but in the second half we saw the tiredness the players put into the first half.
“It’s a great feeling that we are getting the reward from our performances, but it’s all about staying stable and continuing to push.”
Head coach Liam Rosenior was crestfallen by the result.
He said: “I’ve never in my playing career and coaching/managerial career had a feeling like this.
“If we’d have drawn, I’d have been disappointed. I don’t know what to say. I thought we were by far the better team, but they scored an absolute miracle goal – the lad nicks it and hits an absolute wonder strike.
“It’s not a crisis. That’s an outstanding performance. On another day we maybe win it by two, three or four.
“I can’t fault the players and I want them to stay positive.”
Rosenior, whose side had won their last three home games, added: “There’s a consistent dominance about our play now and that’s pleasing.
“The lads are a really resilient group and the players have been magnificent.
“There’s so much good to us. I don’t want to come across arrogant, but I said to the players, ‘I’m angry for you, not angry with you’.
“We have to use a negative experience and turn it into a positive.
“We shouldn’t be happy with the top six, we should be pushing for top two.”
Pioli focused on Genoa clash as speculation intensifies over Milan exit
Milan's disappointing campaign has put Stefano Pioli under scrutiny but his full concentration remains on a positive end to the season.
The Rossoneri are second in Serie A but 19 points adrift of champions Inter, and their fans suffered witnessing their fierce rivals secure the Scudetto in the recent derby win at San Siro.
That has only increased media reports about Pioli's dismissal once the season ends, with fans also protesting at the situation Milan face.
"My task shouldn't be complicated, there are four games left," Pioli told a press conference before Sunday's home game against Genoa.
"It's true that outside they talk about everything except the games, but not us. We have a great sense of responsibility. Then we'll see what the future is at the end of the season."
Some Italian reports have suggested Pioli could move to Napoli, though the Milan head coach refuted those claims.
"No thoughts, other than the next four games. At the end of the season, I'll meet with Milan and we'll see what to do," Pioli said.
"You've waited a long time, wait a little longer to talk about the future, the work is not done. The reality is I have another year on my contract with Milan and I won't speak to any other club while I'm under contract."
The atmosphere is tense around the club, and Milan ultras have announced they will not support the team against Genoa, remaining in silence without any banners or flags, as a form of protest against the owners.
"Our fans have always been an added value, especially in difficult moments. And I don't forget it," Pioli continued.
"They have taken this position and we respect it, then we have to do everything to win the game."
Milan have a five-point lead over Juventus in third and Genoa are 12th on 42 points, moving out of relegation danger.
Arteta lauds Saka hunger after Arsenal put pressure on Man City
Mikel Arteta lauded the consistency of Bukayo Saka and his increased hunger to win after Saturday's routine 3-0 victory over Bournemouth at Etihad Stadium.
The Gunners swept aside Bournemouth as Saka's penalty opened the scoring before late second-half finishes from Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice sealed another much-needed victory.
With two games to spare, Arsenal have equalled their Premier League win tally from last season (26), only in 1930-31 (28) and 1970-71 (29) have the Gunners won more games in a single top-flight campaign.
That is in large part thanks to Saka, who became the first player to score 20 goals for Arsenal in a season (all competitions) since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20 (29 goals).
He is also the first Englishman to do so for the club since Theo Walcott in 2012-13 (21 goals) and Arteta was quick to praise star winger Saka.
"The level of consistency compared to last year is very similar," the Arsenal manager said at his post-match press conference.
"There are areas he's better in. I see a different edge to him in the way he competes. He loves winning more than three months ago."
Kai Haverz won Saka's first-half penalty, though Bournemouth may feel the Arsenal forward triggered contact with goalkeeper Mark Travers.
The Cherries also had a goal disallowed at 2-0 down when Dominic Solanke was adjudged to have fouled David Raya before Antoine Semenyo turned into an empty net.
A lengthy VAR check followed both decisions but Arteta refused to comment on either incident, suggesting he had not seen them back yet.
"The honest answer is I haven't seen any of the incidents because I knew you were going to ask me," he added.
"They said do you want to see it and I said no so I can give you an honest answer!"
All 10 of Arsenal’s outfield starters attempted at least one shot in this game, the first time this has happened in a Premier League game for the Gunners since January 2022 against Burnley.
Gabriel Magalhaes almost got in the act but his strike was ruled out late on for offside, before Rice managed to add gloss to a dominant performance.
Rice was playing for West Ham last season as Arsenal capitulated in the title race against Man City, though the England international is hoping for a different outcome this time around.
"I wasn't here last year but I can sense that we are embracing it," the Arsenal midfielder told TNT Sports as Man City prepare to host Wolves later on Saturday.
"Man City are a machine and they don't lose many. Anything can happen in football. Surprises can happen and miracles can happen and we just have to stay focused."
Arsenal will continue to go about their business in hope of Man City slipping up, the Gunners have won 14 of their 16 Premier League games in 2024 (D1 L1), scoring 51 goals and conceding just eight in reply.
Indeed, the Gunners have won the most points in the competition since the turn of the year (43), but Arteta's side remain reliant on favours from elsewhere in the title race.
Ipswich Town promoted to Premier League after 22-year absence
Ipswich Town secured their return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence by seeing off Huddersfield Town 2-0 at Portman Road on Saturday.
Kieran McKenna's side, who only earned promotion from League One last year, required a point on the final day of regular-season fixtures.
Wes Burns put Ipswich on their way with a 27th-minute strike, before Omar Hutchinson sealed the deal early in the second period.
As it turned out, even a loss would have seen Town go up as Leeds failed to pick up the three points they needed in a 2-1 loss to Southampton.
Joel Piroe cancelled out Adam Armstrong's goal, but Will Smallbone restored the visitors' lead before half-time at Elland Road and at it remained that way.
Leeds will now face Norwich City in the play-offs after the Canaries dropped from fifth to sixth with a 1-0 loss to Birmingham City.
West Brom's 3-0 win over Preston North End ensured they finished the season in fifth, meaning a play-off semi-final date with Southampton.
Despite their home win over Norwich, Birmingham joined Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town in being relegated to the third tier.
That is due to Plymouth Argyle defeating top-six chasers Hull City 1-0, while Sheffield Wednesday eased to a 2-0 victory at Sunderland.
Rotherham's relegation was confirmed last month, while Huddersfield were effectively already down barring a miraculous set of results on the final day.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
