Etienne Capoue of Watford celebrate Watford's dramatic victory against Wolverhampton in the FA Cup semi-finals. Photo / Getty
Etienne Capoue of Watford celebrate Watford's dramatic victory against Wolverhampton in the FA Cup semi-finals. Photo / Getty
By Jason Burt for Telegraph UK
Just when it appeared Watford were down and out they produced one of the all-time great FA Cup comebacks to thrillingly beat Wolverhampton Wanderers and earn a place in the final for the first time since 1984.
They showed, as captain Troy Deeney famously said, cojones. Big, big cojones.
And not least Deeney himself who earned and scored the penalty, in the 94th minute, to force extra-time as his team fought back from two goals down with 11 minutes to go.
But the key moment was the introduction of substitute Gerard Deulofeu, soon after Wolves' second goal went in, who turned this enthralling encounter with two accomplished goals of his own in an inspirational, memorable performance in which he wrote his name in the club's folklore.
Deulofeu did not start the game and he could not finish it – as he went off injured – but he was the man of the match for his simply brilliant 50-minute cameo. This was a super super-sub.
It was a fabulous fight-back by Watford although Wolves will reflect on the substitutions of their manager Nuno Espirito Santo who has got so much right this season but appeared to make a mistake when he already had five on the pitch to hand the advantage in midfield to Watford.
They seized it and will now meet Manchester City in next month's final having lost three semi-finals, in the last 16 years, before this triumph.
They are yet to win a major trophy. City are seeking the quadruple and will go into that fixture the heavy favourites but Watford should huge reserves of character and should not be taken lightly under their impressive head coach Javi Gracia.
Etienne Capoue and Abdoulaye Doucoure of Watford celebrate their comeback victory. Photo / Getty
It was even, it was tense and it was a well-worked goal that gave Wolves the lead.
Well-worked from their point of view; not from Watford's as Abdoulaye Doucoure's lapse in concentration allowed Doherty to run in and meet an in-swinging cross from Diogo Jota after the ball had been played to him from a corner.
Doherty stooped to head home from two yards.
That corner followed a smart save by Heurelho Gomes who had pushed over a fierce deflected shot by Leander Dendoncker although Watford will reflect on two chances spurned by Andre Gray after he was superbly set up by Deeney.
Gray was preferred to Deulofeu, perhaps a surprise, but Deeney picked him out with a cross, from Jose Holebas's back-heel. Gray only had goalkeeper John Ruddy to beat but guided his volley over the bar from close-range.
Maybe he should have headed it.
That was before Wolves had scored and on the stroke of half-time he had the opportunity to equalise after Deeney's excellent cushioned, backward header teed him up. This time he took a touch and sliced his shot – even so it was goal-bound, and would have beaten Ruddy, before Conor Coady lunged and diverted it away for a corner.
Set-pieces continued to prove the danger and Wolves struck again when a free-kick was taken with Doherty collecting the ball and delivering a cross that dropped over Adrian Mariappa's head for Raul Jimenez, in front of Kiko Femenia who was playing him onside, to chest it down and quite wonderfully volley past Gomes before donning a Mexican wrestling mask in celebration.
It appeared over. Would Watford respond? They did. Gracia finally turned to Deulofeu – who threw them a lifeline.
It was another brilliant finish with the Spaniard collecting possession after Saiss attempted to clear from a throw-in. Inside the Wolves area Deulofeu improvised by dinking a right-foot chipped shot that bent high around Ruddy and into the net.
That description barely does justice to the technique he showed.
It was now all Watford with Wolves responding by bringing on another defender, Ryan Bennett, and withdrawing Ruben Neves.
Could they hold out? They could not.
Watford's Gerard Deulofeu scores his side's third goal against Wolves. Photo / Getty
There were four minutes of added time and, in the final one, Watford earned a penalty – with Dendoncker rashly bringing down Deeney as the striker ran onto a low cut-back from Doucoure.
There was a VAR review but the original decision by referee Michael Oliver rightly stood and Deeney, inevitably, hammered his spot-kick high past Ruddy to spark wild celebrations as he sprinted towards the Watford fans.
It forced extra-time with the first chance falling to Wolves as Gomes tipped over Jonny Otto's rising shot.
But it was Watford who scored again and did so with a razor-sharp counter-attack as Deeney headed the ball down to Gray who combined with Deulofeu before playing him in.
Deulofeu's pace allowed him to surge forward, away from Coady before slipping a low shot across Ruddy and into the corner of the goal. Simply sensational.
Wolves desperately tried to force penalties and went closest, with two minutes to go, when substitute Ivan Cavaleiro rounded Gomes but miscued, tripping over the ball under pressure. Wolves had stumbled and Watford deserved the victory.
