Jewison Bennette came off the bench to score his first goal in English football as Sunderland earned a hard-fought point at Watford. The Costa Rica international fired home just a couple of minutes from time at Vicarage Road, as Sunderland climbed to fifth in the table going into the international break.
Watford's on-loan Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis had given the Hornets the lead ten minutes before half-time on what was his first Championship start for the club. But defender Aji Alese opened his account for Sunderland when he levelled just before the break, with goalline technology deciding his shot had crossed the line before it could be cleared.
Luke O'Nien then scored an unfortunate own-goal against the club where he began his career to put Watford back in front, before Bennette saved the day for Tony Mowbray's side. Ellis Simms missed out with the toe injury he suffered in the midweek win at Reading, forcing Mowbray into one change as he brought Elliot Embleton into the starting line-up.
READ MORE: Watford 2-2 Sunderland: Highlights and reaction as Bennette scores late equaliser
That meant Alex Pritchard began in the false nine position he had occupied once Simms had gone off against the Royals. Watford boss Rob Edwards made five changes to the side that lost 2-0 at Blackburn in midweek.
He brought in William Troost-Ekong, Davis, Hassane Kamara, Yaser Asprilla, and Kortney Hause, in place of Vakoun Bayo, Christian Kabasele, Francisco Sierralta, and the injured Ismaila Sarr and Jeremy Ngakia.
Watford dominated the early part of the game, with their size and physical presence overpowering Sunderland at times. But they struggled to fashion clear-cut chances, with Hause and Davis both missing the target with headers.
Sunderland had made frequent forays forward on the counter but without testing Hornets' keeper Daniel Bachmann. That continued midway through the half when Alese's overhit cross from the left was retrieved by Patrick Roberts and played into the path of Lynden Gooch who set himself for a shot from the edge of the box but it flew wide of the left-hand post.
Roberts saw his appeals for a penalty turned down on the half-hour when he took a tumble under pressure from Hause, but referee John Busby was not interested and it did look like he had gone down cheaply. Watford produced the first effort on target when Joao Pedro sent a shot straight at Anthony Patterson.
And on 34 minutes the home side took the lead. Asprilla's diagonal ball found Kamara wide on the left, Patterson got a hand to his low cross but could only take the pace off it and that left Davis with a tap-in from inside the six-hard box.
Sunderland responded well after falling behind and they began to put Watford under pressure, with Corry Evans forcing Bachmann into a save with a long-range effort. And in the 45th minute, Sunderland got back on terms.
Slick interplay down the right saw the ball played to Pritchard, his low pass found Jack Clarke at the far post and he tussled for possession with Craig Cathcart, before Alese took over and his low shot was seemingly cleared by Hamza Choudhury on the line. But after a couple of seconds' pause, referee Busby blew his whistle and pointed to his watch as the goalline technology decided the ball had in fact crossed the line.
It was just the boost Sunderland needed going into the break, but at the start of the second half the Black Cats began to sit back and Watford took control. Asprilla saw a low shot from inside the box on the right saved by Patterson at his near post, while Danny Batth did well to block a shot from Davis after the forward had rounded the keeper.
Watford made their pressure count as went back in front on 62 minutes. Corry Evans gave away a free-kick on the right flank and when the ball was swung into the box, Troost-Ekong headed it back across goal and O'Nien lost his bearings and headed into his own net.
Sunderland saw another penalty appeal rejected when a Roberts cross appeared to be blocked by Choudhury's arm, but again the officials were unmoved. Sunderland thought they had levelled a couple of minutes later when sub Amad Diallo's cross found Clarke inside the box on the left and he volleyed home, but the linesman had raised his flag for offside against Clarke.
Then eight minutes from time another sub, Leon Dajaku, missed a gilt-edged chance to equalise when he raced through on goal in the left-hand channel, only to steer his shot beyond the far post. But Bennette's moment came three minutes from time.
Roberts' cross from the right was missed by the home defence and it came to the unmarked teenager, who had time to control before drilling his shot into the bottom right-hand corner.
How they lined up
Watford: Bachmann, Cathcart (Kabasele 83), Troost-Ekong, Hause, Pedro, Choudhury, Sema, Kamara (Bayo 73), Asprilla, Davis (Gosling 81), Kayembe. Subs not used: Okoye, Kalu, Sierralta, Hungbo
Sunderland: Patterson, O'Nien, Batth, Alese, Gooch, Evans (Matete 79), Neil (Dajaku 73), Clarke (Bennette 73), Roberts, Embleton (Diallo 63), Pritchard (Ba 79). Subs not used: Bass, Hume
Booked: Roberts, Evans, Bennette, Matete
Referee: John Busby (Oxfordshire)
READ NEXT:
- Sunderland's Tony Mowbray on playing 'football-savvy' Alex Pritchard as a false nine
- Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray explains defender Bailey Wright's absence at Reading
- Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray makes Blackburn transfer admission amid Niall Huggins injury update
- Ellis Simms scan inconclusive but Tony Mowbray 'hopeful' Sunderland forward could still face Watford
- Patrick Roberts on Sunderland's Plan B, and how it worked at Reading
