Share

Gomes is Watford's hero

West Bromwich - Watford's Heurelho Gomes saved two second-half penalties as the Hornets won 1-0 away to West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

Baggies striker Saido Berahino was twice denied from the spot by the Brazilian goalkeeper as he helped the FA Cup semi-finalists preserve a lead established by Ben Watson's 27th-minute goal at the Hawthorns.

Prior to his penalty heroics, former Tottenham Hotspur keeper Gomes had already made two fine saves, denying Stephane Sessegnon in the first half and then producing an acrobatic effort to thwart Gareth McAuley shortly after half-time.

But he topped those efforts with his two penalty stops.

Having brought down Berahino in the 66th minute, he then dived to his right to beat away the West Brom forward's first penalty effort on Saturday.

And three minutes from time he secured Watford's victory when he went low to his left to keep out another Berahino spot-kick, the Hornets winning for just the third time in 16 league matches.

Gomes was involved early on when he parried Sessegnon's well-struck free-kick, with the midfielder putting the rebound wide.

Soon afterwards, Watford were in front when Adlene Guedioura's corner was steered into the far corner of the net by former Albion loan player Watson.

West Brom's James McClaren then squandered a promising position by neither shooting himself or crossing for Berahino, his final ball neither one thing nor the other.

Craig Dawson and Salomon Rondon then combined to create a chance for Sessegnon, but the Benin star was denied by a superb fingertip save from Gomes.

McClean sent a shot into the side-netting within a minute of the restart before Gomes athletically tipped McAuley's header over the crossbar.

At the other end, Albion 'keeper Ben Foster denied Watford captain Troy Deeney.

Then came the first of Gomes's penalty saves and he was called upon again when Etienne Capoue tripped James McClean for a second spot-kick. 

Berahino didn't shy away from the responsibility, but then suffered the agony of seeing Gomes save again.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1814 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1774 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1082 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 459 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 186 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
5% - 252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE