Watford head coach Valerien Ismael believes strength in depth is starting to pay off for his side as they secured a late 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
A fine solo effort by substitute Yaser Asprilla was the difference at wet Vicarage Road, a goal that saw new Owls head coach Danny Rohl suffer defeat in his first game.
The Colombian was on the field for four minutes before his strike, and Ismael felt the ability to rotate players will prove to be a bonus.
He said: “We’ve got all the players available, so when you see the bench there’s a lot of quality.
“You put the pressure on the players to perform, but if they aren’t performing then we have to change because another player is waiting to play. This is what we need. We are coming through with the team spirit.
“We don’t rely on the one player to make the difference if everything goes wrong, but we are now able to make the difference at any time. Hopefully it can help the player to step up more and build up momentum.”
The game was largely a dull affair, but livened up after the restart.
It was the the visitors who had the first opportunity five minutes after the interval. A curled free kick from Windass found the head of Hendrick, who flicked his effort just over the bar.
They appeared to have the perfect opportunity nine minutes after the restart. Anthony Musaba was seemingly fouled by Jamal Lewis in the area, and referee Dean Whitestone awarded a spot kick. However, after further consultation with his assistant he overturned the decision and gave a corner instead.
The decision seemed to galvanise Watford, who started to press their way into the contest and force their opponents further on the back foot.
Even so, it was seemingly heading for a stalemate, with no tangible attempt on target from either side.
The decisive moment came eight minutes from time, with Asprilla demonstrating some fine ball control.
He picked up the ball on the right flank from Ismael Kone, and was able to work his way into the centre of the field, getting in a shot from the edge of the area that was driven past keeper Cameron Dawson.
Wednesday looked deflated after going behind, and Watford looked more likely to add a second.
Although that did not arrive, the hosts earned their first victory – and clean sheet – since mid-September.
Defeat meant the Hillsborough outfit are without a win in 12 games, and remain bottom with a nine point gap from safety.
Even so, Rohl saw plus points from his new side.
He said: “There were a lot of positive things. We trained hard this week with a lot of intensity and energy.
“Then we have the disappointment with the penalty not being awarded. For me it was a new situation the assistant overturning the decision.
“I will take the good things and we will have to go forward with the next match. I spoke with the players about what is needed to improve in the next days and the next months. It will be a tough season, we know this.
“But I see a team that has the basics, has the mentality and has the willingness – it’s to bring this with my style of football. We want to have the ball on the ground.”
'I don't celebrate goals any more' - Postecoglou bemoans VAR after Arsenal defeat
Ange Postecoglou admitted "I don't celebrate goals any more" after VAR denied Tottenham during their north London derby defeat by Arsenal.
Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their rivals, who kept their Premier League title challenge on track, despite a late rally having trailed 3-0 at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal, the hosts thought they had equalised when Micky van de Ven slotted past David Raya, However, the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review with the defender adjudged to be offside.
Arsenal took advantage of their let-off with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz increasing their lead, while second-half strikes from Cristiano Romero and Heung-Min Son proved academic for Tottenham.
"Games aren’t refereed in the stadium any more," Postecoglou told reporters during his post-match press conference. "I don’t celebrate goals any more.
"You've got to wait for somebody down the road. It’s a shame, I don’t like it, but I’ve got to accept it."
The Spurs boss was pleased with his side's response after the break, and hopes his players will benefit from the disappointment of losing the derby.
"It's a big day for our club and our fans, and we didn't get the outcome we wanted, so it's obviously very disappointing," he added on SpursTalk.
"You can go out in the second half and accept your fate that it's not your day, but we had to show some resilience and fight - just for our supporters more than anything else. To be fair to the lads, they did that.
"We just lacked some focus today in key moments, particularly in the first half. Sometimes, you've got to feel the pain of it to learn that lesson properly."
Arteta was 'praying' Arsenal held on for derby victory
Mikel Arteta was "praying" Arsenal clung on as the Gunners held off a late Tottenham fightback to claim a 3-2 north London derby victory on Sunday.
Arsenal looked to be cruising at 3-0 up after a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own-goal put the Gunners ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz extended the visitors' lead.
However, a David Raya mistake allowed Cristian Romero to cut the deficit before a Son Heung-min penalty threw Arsenal's lead into further peril after Declan Rice brought down Ben Davies.
The Gunners held on, though, despite some late pressure, a period in which Arteta conceded he was fearing the worst.
"I was praying," Arteta told reporters. "It was a really emotional game.
"3-0 up you're in control, and then an individual error happens that clicks something. We started to deal with the situation better, but they have the players to put a lot of courage forward."
Along with the derby day spoils, the win extends Arsenal's lead at the Premier League summit to four points, temporarily at least with closest rivals Manchester City taking on Nottingham Forest later on Sunday in the first of their two games in hand over the Gunners.
The destination of the title remains in the hands of Pep Guardiola's City, who overtook Arsenal last term to claim a fifth Premier League title in six seasons last term after the Gunners led for much of the way.
Arteta believes Arsenal are better-equipped this time to go on and win the title, however.
When asked if Arsenal have the ability to go all the way, Arteta replied: "100%.
"I’ve seen that the whole season. They give me reason to believe that every single day. The motivation for what is ahead is beautiful."
'We fought until the end' - Saka 'delighted' as Arsenal withstand late Spurs surge
Bukayo Saka saluted Arsenal's fighting spirit as they withstood a late Tottenham revival to claim all three points in the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta's side prevailed 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to four points over second-place Manchester City with three matches remaining, though the Citizens still have two games in hand.
The Gunners surged into a 3-0 lead before half-time with Saka and Kai Havertz on target after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal broke the deadlock.
The winger's 15th goal of the season - his highest tally during a single term - saw him become the first English player to score home and away for Arsenal against Tottenham in the same Premier League campaign since Ian Wright in 1993-94.
However, the visitors given a late scare with Cristian Romero pouncing on David Raya's error to pull a goal back, before Heung-Min Son's 87th-minute penalty set up a grandstand finish.
Nevertheless, they held on for three points and, though the destiny of the title is out of their hands, their challenge remains very much alive.
"The last 20 minutes weren't nice, but it was worth it," Saka told Sky Sports.
"We know it's a big derby, and they don't want to lose 3-0 at home. Once they got one goal, the crowd were up and the momentum shifted their way. But I'm proud of the boys. We fought until the end, and got the three points.
"We showed our level heads at the end, and I'm proud to get the win. We know what it means to the fans and to us, so we're delighted.
"This is a massive win for us. We've got three [matches] to go, we're going to give it everything. City are an amazing team, but they're not perfect - nobody's perfect, they can drop points. We just need to do our job and see where it leads us."
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