UK Edition
Watford 1 Swansea 2: Luciano Narsingh secures late comeback as Carlos Carvalhal gets off to winning start
This might be the smallest chink of light that Carlos Carvalhal was imagining when he said his new team don’t “need a miracle to survive.”
Swansea looked set for their eighth successive away defeat after another limp display but, after creating almost nothing all afternoon, two goals in the final four minutes from Jordan Ayew and Luciano Narsingh gave them a dramatic and unlikely victory.
So work-focused is new manager Carvalhal that upon arriving in Swansea, he enquired about staying at the club’s Fairwood training complex. The answer was no as the centre does not have accommodation but if the Portuguese could sleep there, he would.
It is an attitude that clearly inspired his new players who fought to the last for a priceless three points in their fight for survival.
For a long time, Andre Carrillo’s goal in the 11th minute looked like it would be the crucial moment in a game of few chances at Vicarage Road.
The Swansea supporters who made the trip East, and there weren’t too many of them, spent the afternoon voicing their anger against the club’s ownership. This didn’t seemed destined to be the fairytale beginning for Carvalhal.
When Ayew nutmegged Ben Watson and struck the crossbar from 25 yards in the fifth minute, Carvalhal must have been impressed with the start made by his new players, and perhaps even hopeful.
Swansea had started brightly but the defensive frailty which had seen them ship 13 goals in the previous four games soon emerged as the Hornets went in front.
Stefano Okaka brought down Heurelho Gomes’s goal kick skillfully before weighting a perfect pass inside the left channel to Richarlison.
From there, the Brazilian shot to the near post where Lukasz Fabianski parried the ball back into the area where Carrillo was weighting to nod the ball into the net for his first goal for the club.
“We want Jenkins out,” immediately rang out from the away end, which was far from full, as supporters continued their protest against the club’s chairman.
One of Carvalhal’s most immediate priorities will be to resurrect the career of his countryman, Renato Sanchez. The midfielder, on loan from Bayern Munich, looked to be lacking match fitness and was anonymous for long periods but showed flashes of what he is capable of.
Both sides were neat in possession but Swansea created no chances, other than Ayew’s effort, until the 60th minute, when Gomes easily saved Narsingh’s shot.
No team have scored fewer than Swansea this season and though Carvalhal insists the club don’t “need a miracle to stay up,” that is something he must rectify.
Watford didn’t create too much either, though Andre Gray was prevented from making it 2-0 by an excellent point-blank save from Fabianski.
It proved crucial as just seconds later Narsingh crossed for Oliver McBurnie and he headed down for Ayew to prod the ball home.
Narsingh and fellow substitute Nathan Dyer were the catalysts in the Swans resurgence.
When Dyer struck a low shot from 20 yards, Gomes couldn’t hold it and Narsingh was on hand to tuck away the rebound.