Andre Gray scored twice against his former club

 

Andre Gray scored twice against his former club to salvage a point for struggling Plymouth Argyle as they drew 2-2 with Watford

Gray curled in an equaliser in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time to seal a crucial point for Wayne Rooney’s side.

Vakoun Bayo gave the Hornets a deserved early lead as he bundled home from close range, but Gray levelled against the run of play soon after with a well-taken volley.

Ryan Porteous ensured Watford led at the break, converting Mattie Pollock’s cross from close range.

But just as it looked like Watford would go home with all three points, Gray – who joined Argyle on a free transfer last month – sent Home Park into raptures with his third goal in five games.

The point lifted Argyle up to 17th in the Championship, while Watford – managed by Rooney’s former Manchester United team-mate Tom Cleverley – moved up to fifth.

Watford made a fast start with Giorgi Chakvetadze causing early problems as the hosts looked lacklustre, and the Hornets took advantage when Yasser Larouci’s low cross from the left was scrambled home by Bayo after his marker Lewis Gibson had lost him.

It could have got worse for Argyle eight minutes later but Larouci’s pull-back caught the heel of Kwadwo Baah and went to safety.

But just as Watford looked to be getting total control, Gray’s superb right-footed volley into the opposite bottom corner from Gibson’s crossfield pass turned the game on its head.

Morgan Whittaker was inches away from putting the hosts ahead moments later, while Michael Obafemi also went close as the goal kick-started Argyle’s confidence.

That confidence should have been shattered after 31 minutes when Porteous managed to shoot wide of the Argyle post after a goalmouth scramble from a corner – but the Scotland defender made up for it 10 minutes later.

Imran Louza’s floated free-kick was played across the face of goal by Pollock and Porteous was there with a right-footed finish from six yards.

Argyle started the second half positively but Watford controlled the possession and tempo well as they protected their lead, limiting the hosts to half-chances.

The Pilgrims’ evening got worse when star forward Whittaker limped off with a foot injury with 10 minutes left, and Watford could have wrapped the game up eight minutes later as Larouci broke from midfield and fed Bayo, but Dan Grimshaw did well to block the Ivorian’s effort.

Whittaker’s replacement, Callum Wright, shot wide after some good footwork in the penalty area soon after.

Watford looked to have seen the game out until substitute Mustapha Bundu found Gray in a bit of space on the corner of the 18-yard box and the Jamaica international – who left the Hornets in 2022 after five years – superbly curled into the top right corner with seconds to spare.

Ryan Porteous scored for the second time in his past three Watford appearances. Photo by Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport:

“I’m delighted in the end to get a point, I think Watford are a very good team, a very powerful team.

“The first 10 minutes I thought we couldn’t get to grips with the game.

“After they scored we did well to get back into the game – it was a fantastic goal from Andre and I thought we were OK after that, we settled into our shape a little bit and then we conceded a terrible goal from our point of view.

“But then I thought there was a real shift in mentality second half, we spread our centre-backs out a little bit more and made it more difficult for them to put pressure on us.

“I thought the lads who came on made a difference again, which is really important for us, and in the end we deserved a point.”

Watford head coach Tom Cleverley told BBC Sport:

“If you reduce Plymouth to what we did this evening, you win this nine times out of 10.

“I felt that we had so many opportunities in transition, we just weren’t clinical enough.

“I can’t be too angry with the players, it was everything we asked for, we asked for a real underdog mentality when we haven’t got the ball.

“In possession we showed real class and calmness, we just didn’t get the third goal that you always feel you need when you come here – they score a lot of late goals and that’s what’s undone us today.”