Watford in final after late drama

Watford 3 Leicester City 1 (Watford win 3-2 on agg)

Just a fortnight after Brentford’s hopes of automatic promotion from League One were dashed in the space of a minute – when Marcello Trotta’s stoppage-time penalty hit the crossbar and Doncaster broke away to score the winner and seal the title – the Hornets repeated the trick yesterday.

Their promotion dream looked over when referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot after Marco Cassetti nudged Anthony Knockaert to the floor in the area.

But Knockaert’s penalty, and the rebound, was saved by Watford goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

As some of Leicester’s players held their heads in disbelief, Cassetti hacked the ball clear and it was helped on to Fernando Forestieri , who made one last burst down the right wing. His cross was met by the head of Jonathan Hogg, Matej Vydra helped the ball on and Troy Deeney gleefully lashed in the winner, with 96 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock.

WATFORD: Almunia, Doyley (Forestieri 64), Cassetti, Ekstrand, Briggs, Anya, Abdi, Battocchio (Hogg 79), Chalobah, Deeney, Vydra.

LEICESTER: Schmeichel, De Laet, Morgan, Keane, Schlupp, King, Dyer (Drinkwater 66), James, Knockaert, Nugent, Wood (Kane 61).

Referee: Michael Oliver.