Richarlison’s late header salvages draw for Watford at West Bromwich Albion

Watford’s winning run on the road has come to an end, although you would never have guessed so by the wild celebrations among the travelling supporters at the final whistle. This felt more like a victory for Marco Silva’s resilient side, who recovered from being 2-0 down inside 21 minutes against notoriously difficult opponents to salvage a thoroughly deserved point courtesy of yet another last-gasp goal from Richarlison.

The Brazilian, who scored a 90th-minute winner against Swansea a week ago, is looking like one of the signings of the summer. Bought from Fluminense for £11.5m, he has already scored three times in the Premier League and Silva has no doubt that he has a special player on his hands. The Watford manager talked afterwards about a “huge talent” and a striker who “will achieve fantastic things in his career”.

As well as scoring the equaliser, Richarlison had a hand in Watford’s opening goal, which gave them a platform to claw their way back into a game that was in danger of passing them by when West Bromwich Albion scored twice in three minutes. Salomón Rondón, with only his second Premier League goal this year, got the first and Jonny Evans headed in the second.

Watford, however, never looked like downing tools and the goal that Abdoulaye Doucouré pulled back eight minutes before half-time felt like just reward for their persistence. Albion lived dangerously thereafter, although it had looked as though they would hold on for a win until Richarlison met José Holebas’s free-kick with a towering header.

Tony Pulis was furious. The Albion manager was annoyed that his players had been so careless to allow Watford to break upfield so late in the game but more aggrieved with Michael Oliver, the referee. Pulis felt that James McClean should never have been penalised for a foul on Richarlison and pointed out that the goal was scored in the 95th minute, despite the fourth official signalling there would only be four minutes of added time.

“It was disappointing. The challenge from McClean is fair. He plays the ball. And the referee again has got a great view of it, that’s two games in a row where a decision that has gone against us has cost us a goal,” said Pulis, referring to the defeat at Arsenal on Monday. “Having said that I still think we should have been more set up to make sure they didn’t counter-attack.”

Silva, who had seen his side win their previous three Premier League away games, was full of praise for his players’ “character, personality and spirit”. The fact they enjoyed 65% possession and registered 15 shots to Albion’s nine supported the Watford manager’s claim that the least his team deserved was a draw.

That outcome looked unlikely, however, when Albion struck twice early on. Rondon’s opener owed much to the vision of Grzegorz Krychowiak, whose lovely pass from deep encouraged the Venezuelan to sprint clear. After outmuscling Christian Kabasele and with the angle against him, Rondon beat Heurelho Gomes at his near post with a neat finish.

Evans then doubled Albion’s leader when he headed in a Matt Phillips corner and both Jay Rodriguez and Ahmed Hegazi had chances to score a third for the home side.

Watford badly needed to gain a foothold in the game again and, to their credit, they managed to do so. André Carrillo ought to have scored with a header from three years out before Doucouré , running onto Richarlison’s clever flick, drilled a low left-footed shot across Ben Foster and into the far corner.

Richarlison spurned one chance to head in at the far post but was not so forgiving when presented with a second opportunity late on. “An amazing boy,” said Silva. “When I told our board I want that player, I saw in him different things than are normal for a Brazilian footballer. But of course you never know if a 20-year-old boy can adapt as fast as him.”