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Watford suffered the upset at Tranmere but Manchester United will have felt a little queasy too. Prenton Park awaits Ole Gunnar Solskjær on Sunday and a trip to a weakened Premier League opponent may have been preferable to visiting a bog of a pitch plus a team languishing 21st in League One with nothing to lose. On this evidence Micky Mellon’s side will relish the chance to claim another top-flight scalp.
Tranmere’s substitute Paul Mullin scored the extra-time winner that secured a lucrative date with United in the fourth round. The striker, whose late goal completed Rovers’ comeback from three goals down at Vicarage Road, headed home from close range after the impressive Corey Blackett-Taylor glanced on a cross from substitute Harvey Gilmour. Tranmere, ahead through Manny Monthé but pegged back in normal time by Kaylen Hinds’s equaliser, should have won inside 90 minutes against a makeshift Watford team who laboured throughout. The victors will not mind going the extra mile for the opportunity to increase Solskjær’s torment, however.
Nigel Pearson, to his credit, was gracious in defeat and blamed neither the poor playing surface nor his changes for the early exit, although the Watford manager was pointed in his criticism of some of the club’s young players who failed to seize their chance to impress. “Some of our young players thought they could just turn up in the first half,” he said. “You have to earn the right to play. It was a bit of a reality check for some. Welcome to the man’s game.”
Tranmere signalled their intent to subject Watford to an awkward night from the outset. The incentive was clear in the form of a potential showpiece against United but also in the opportunity to vanquish Premier League opposition beforehand. With the exception of Andre Gray, José Holebas and Christian Kabasele, the visitors were a top-flight unit in name only. Having watched his side suffer a late league defeat at Aston Villa only 48 hours earlier, Pearson had little choice but to make wholesale changes for the replay. The average age of a Watford team featuring four debutants and several academy players was 23. Unsurprisingly, they struggled to establish a rhythm against more settled opponents, although there was less excuse for the passive nature of their overall display.
The power and pace of Rovers’ target man Morgan Ferrier unsettled the visitors’ defence while Blackett-Taylor ensured Mason Barrett’s debut at right-back for Watford was far from comfortable. Blackett-Taylor threatened whenever Tranmere found him in space on the left – no mean feat considering he was operating on a beach rather than a football pitch given the amount of sand down the flanks – and could have scored twice with the game goalless only to blaze both over.
Pearson’s team did not test Rovers’ keeper Scott Davies once in the first half – a series of ambitious shots from Domingos Quina in central midfield was as close as they came – and their defensive frailties cost them at a corner delivered by Blackett-Taylor. Several Watford defenders were unable to clear under pressure from Peter Clarke and the ball dropped to Monthé lurking just outside the area. His left-foot shot carried power but deceived Daniel Bachmann with a deflection before finding the net via the inside of the far post. It was the towering defender’s third goal in four matches – including one in the comeback from three goals down at Vicarage Road – and no more than Mellon’s side deserved.
Pearson made just one change at the interval, with Hinds replacing Tom Dele-Bashiru, but whatever he said during the break injected some much-needed urgency into the Watford performance. The visitors should have levelled early in the second half when João Pedro found himself clean through on goal. The Brazilian forward fired low but straight at Davies, who spread himself well, and Holebas headed a difficult rebound high and wide.
The Watford left-back was a fraction away from converting his next opportunity after sweeping an inviting free-kick into the area. Tranmere cleared only as far as Barrett, who sliced a shot back across goal to Holebas from 20 yards. He connected with a thunderous volley that struck the angle of post and bar and Rovers were reprieved. But not for much longer. Pressure on the home defence was growing and Watford equalised after a Holebas corner caused pandemonium inside Rovers’ six-yard box. Davies was unable to hold on to a Pedro header and, amid the goalmouth scrambled that followed, Hinds scored from close range.
Mellon replaced the injured Ferrier with Mullin and the substitute almost restored his side’s lead after a mix-up in the Watford defence. Mullin rounded Bachmann but could only find the side-netting from a tight angle as the ball rolled away from goal. The veteran Neil Danns went close twice in normal time and Tranmere’s victory, though delayed, was thoroughly deserved.
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