5. Deeney sends Watford to the play off finals.
Watford had narrowly missed out on automatic promotion to the English Premier League after finishing 3rd in the championship, whilst opponents Leicester finished in 6th position, pitting these teams against each other for a spot in the play off finals at Wembley.
What unfolded was one of the most extraordinary conclusions to a football match that you are ever likely to witness.
With Watford leading the match 2-1 deep into injury time, it seemed as though extra time would be on the cards in order to determine the winner of a frenetic and hard fought contest.
However, in the 96th minute Antony Knockaert won a dubious penalty after a theatrical tumble in the penalty box. Leicester were gifted the opportunity to stamp their ticket to Wembley, and Knockaert himself stepped up to take the penalty as the Watford home support could barely watch. Their team were on the brink of elimination with mere seconds to spare in the match.
Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia had other ideas however, as the coolest customer in the arena heroically denied Knockaert twice after saving the initial penalty and the attempted rebound.
Still with time remaining, Watford launched a counter attack within seconds and found themselves bearing down on the Leicester goal, Jonathan Hogg then cushioned a cross into the path of club captain Troy Deeney to rifle home the winner with the very last kick of the game.
Deeney shrugged off his team mates and made a bee-line for the fans as he jumped into the welcoming arms of the adoring crowd who could barely believe what they had witnessed. Others invaded the pitch in scenes of pure jubilation as it was Watford who would be heading to Wembley way to fight for a place in the Premier League.
Meanwhile pantomime villain Antony Knockaert broke down into tears on the pitch as he had realised that Leicester’s promotion dreams had agonisingly slipped through his fingers.
Both sets of supporters, managers, and players had experienced the full cacophony of emotions that this sport could muster in the space of thirty seconds.
I would strongly suggest that you press the play button on the video above as sometimes a picture is able to paint a thousand words.
SPORTS 25/8 