Watford 1 Leeds United 0: YEP jury FA Cup verdicts

DAVID WATKINS In my preview piece on Friday, I wrote about how it was vital for Leeds to keep Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo quiet and, overall, I have to say we did that quite well. In fact, Watford managed only one shot on target in the whole game from 15 attempts. The other requisite I mentioned was that our soft defence needed to show some steel and, above all, avoid the costly errors we have been making all season. Sadly, that was beyond us and in the 53rd minute we once again presented the opposition with a gift, a nicely wrapped and boxed ticket into the quarter-finals. Scott Wootton, possibly with one eye on the indecisive Marco Silvestri who first came and then retreated, managed to knock a cross-ball inside the post off the outside of his knee while trying to scoop it the other way. For all the possession the Hornets had, that one slip was all that separated the teams on the final scoresheet. Unfortunately we have been guilty of such slips all season. It does also have to be said that we didn’t offer much as an attacking force ourselves; Leeds also registered only the one shot on target in the 90 minutes. That was a second-half drive by Liam Bridcutt of all people that was easily plucked out of the air by the home goalkeeper. Quite where we go from here, Evans’ only knows! We have 15 Championship games left this season and we need to continue to pick up points to make absolutely certain we don’t get dragged into a relegation battle as the games are ticked off. That should be enough of a target to keep the players interested in the next few games, starting with the visit of Fulham on Tuesday night. That will be no easy task mind, as I am sure Messrs Cairney and McCormack will be fired up for their latest return to Elland Road. With the booing that took place at Watford against Scott Wootton, and no doubt with more anti-Cellino protests, it will be a testing atmosphere for Steve Evans’ charges to cope with. Man of the match: Sully Doukara. KEITH INGHAM Leeds bowed out of the FA Cup mainly thanks to an own goal by Scott Wootton. Watford threatened the Leeds goal, but were wide while Stuart Dallas’ two efforts didn’t really trouble the Watford goalkeeper. Marco Silvestri, at the other end, saved at his near post from Paredes. Dallas at the end of the half brought a few gasps from both sets of fans; his effort deflected wide. The game was settled when a cross-field ball was met at the far post by Wootton and his miss-kick beat Silvestri to give Watford the lead. Capoue thought he had doubled the lead but his effort was disallowed. Evans surprisingly substituted Dallas and brought on Alex Mowatt, strange considering the effort the Irishman was putting in. Liam Bridcutt woke the home keeper from outside the penalty box. Souleymane Doukara had the last action of the game when he fired a great chance over the bar when set up by Wootton. So, Leeds’ season is over before February is done and I’m convinced that Steve Evans is not the man to take us forward as his persistence playing players that aren’t doing their jobs is not helping the performance on the field. His comments post game will not do much to improve a dressing room that seems to be falling apart. Man of the match: Charlie Taylor. MATTHEW EVANS Not content with sabotaging their league campaign with a succession of off-field distractions, backroom turmoil and player sales, Leeds United went one further and knocked themselves out of the FA Cup on Saturday through a Scott Wootton own goal. It just had to be Scott Wootton. Every potential attack in the first half stalled the moment it reached his feet. But don’t blame Wootton; blame whoever has chosen to make an average centre-half our first-choice right-back. United lacked urgency and desire. Cellino, Evans et al seem to have an aversion to competitive football so will no doubt be glad of three months with absolutely nothing to play for. Man of the match: Toumani Diagouraga. JAMES HARRISON Another poor day being a Leeds United fan. It looks like we are stuck with Antenucci and Doukara until Wood is back. It’s the same every week, comfortable in two thirds of the field but in the final third we lack a real threat. Man of the match: Giuseppe Bellusci. STEPHEN CLARK Scott Wootton will have dreamed of scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup tie. Unfortunately the one he scored sent Watford into the quarter-finals – nightmare. The goal sums Leeds United up perfectly. A joke of a goal for a joke of a club. Leeds are a clueless club from top to bottom on and off the pitch. Whilst Wooton will bear the brunt of the criticism, his goalkeeper was at fault and should not be in that position at all, given we have a true right-back in Lewie Coyle kicking his heels. But it appears that Steve Evans has little clue what he is doing. The club is a shambles, 25 years of loyal support on the verge of ending, and I’m not sure I can be bothered doing all this anymore. Man of the match: Toumani Diagouraga. GARY NEWBOULD United exited the FA Cup courtesy of a Scott Wootton own goal, but yet again the “undroppable” Marco Silvestri fully contributed with hesitation and confusion in his area. Not humiliated, but the Whites were under pressure throughout. Man of the match: Toumani Diagouraga.