BRUCE DENIED AGAIN

Sarr saves Watford

LOGIC dictates that Newcastle will eventually win a game of football this season. The law of averages and basic probability suggest this barren run — now seven matches in all competitions — can linger for only so long.

You do begin to wonder, though, where exactly are those three points coming from? How many better opportunities can they really expect than this? No wonder Steve Bruce looked bereft of answers after Joshua King flicked on a corner and Ismaila Sarr headed in a Watford equaliser with 18 minutes remaining.

No wonder there was a sense of inevitability when Jacob Murphy ran through in the dying moments to rescue victory. Of course his attempted lob drifted pitifully into the arms of Ben Foster.

Pockets of Newcastle supporters called for Bruce’s head even before they surrendered victory. Even as they created chance after chance. Even after Sean Longstaff curled home a first-half opener.

The only crumb of comfort? It could have been worse. King sparked pandemonium a minute from time, only for VAR to confirm he had strayed offside before Moussa Sissoko’s shot was tipped into his path.

That proved only one of a flurry of late chances. Nobody does chaos quite like Newcastle.

Still incredible, though, when you consider how tightly they had this game in their grasp. Watford were booed off at half-time, their fans fumed at Jarred Gillett throughout. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing,’ they sang. Critics of Bruce will be voicing similar sentiments. ‘It’s pretty painful,’ he said. ‘We created enough chances to win three games.’

But it says it all that Watford will also wonder what could have been. This point does lift Newcastle out of the drop zone but victory should have been sealed by the break.

Until Longstaff’s opener, the away end had been a hive of dissent and dissatisfaction. Come half-time, however, it was Watford’s players and manager taking flak from the stands.

That Newcastle led by only one owed much to their wastefulness. In the final five minutes of the half alone, Ciaran Clark headed over Matt Ritchie’s free-kick, Joe Willock hit the side netting and Allan Saint-Maximin was gifted a couple of glorious openings. The clearest, from Craig Cathcart’s woeful backpass, saw Saint-Maximin go past Foster and feed the onrushing Longstaff. With the goal gaping, however, the midfielder lifted the ball over.

Perhaps Newcastle were always going to need a helping hand. Step forward Foster who, midway through the half, could only push Longstaff’s curling effort into his net. The breakthrough prompted Newcastle to push through the gears. That, of course, is why they were so aggrieved hitherto. Watford nearly took the lead through Emmanuel Dennis after only 70 seconds, not that Newcastle’s fans needed any invitation to voice their anger at Bruce and owner Mike Ashley.

Wounds would have been soothed had Newcastle taken one of their myriad chances to kill the game. Foster denied Miguel Almiron, Joelinton and Willock before Clark missed a glorious headed chance.

‘We went to try and win,’ said Watford boss Xisco Munoz. ‘But I need this ambition, this power all game, not only 20 minutes.’