Javi Gracia unhappy with performance as Watford leave it late to see off Norwich

Watford head coach Javi Gracia had some stern words for his players despite seeing them come from behind to seal a thrilling 3-2 win against Norwich thanks to Tom Ince’s late strike.

Ince swept home Marc Bola’s low cross 12 minutes from time for his 100th league goal to leave Norwich rooted in the drop zone.

Watford had been booed off at the break following a defensive meltdown which had left them trailing 2-1, and Gracia’s honest post-match assessment did not spare his Jekyll-and-Hyde side.

He said: “In the first half they were better than us, made more chances, scored more goals.

“The best thing for us was the reaction in the second half, when we were more aggressive, moved the ball quicker and we found a way to attack in a more constant manner.

“But I’m not so happy because, in my opinion, that’s not the way we want to play. In the first 45 minutes it was too easy for our opponents to control the game.

“Tom’s 100th goal in his career is good for him, but we need to find more balance in the team if we want to be more competitive.

“The level of the Championship is very high. Tom’s experience helps the group but we need to have more composure and be more clinical.”

The Canaries were twice in front through Josh Sargent’s 11th-minute header and then Oscar Schwartau’s volley on the stroke of half-time, after Luca Kjerrumgaard had equalised for Watford.

Kjerrumgaard hauled the Hornets level once more in the 61st minute, and after Jovon Makama had squandered a one-on-one chance to put the Canaries ahead a third time, substitute Ince delivered the knockout blow.

Watford have now recovered 18 points from losing positions this season but Gracia is unimpressed they are having to play catch-up so often.

He said: “I’m more concerned about the first 45 minutes and the way we started the game. In this case we got the victory but I’m not so happy with the performance.

“If you don’t play with the right distances between the lines, you give away too much space. We knew before the game that Norwich’s position in the table was not a reflection of their quality.”

Norwich boss Philippe Clement could not hide his disappointment at the final scoreline.

“The result was not what we deserved today. That was clear to everybody, even the Watford bench,” he said.

“It was a game we took in hand from the first minute. In the first half, we dominated, we had good chances and we scored two good goals.

“At half-time we had the motivation to kick on in the second half but we didn’t do that. Watford were more aggressive and we didn’t come out in a good way. Our energy dropped. At 2-2, we didn’t defend well and we didn’t sick to our principles.

”There were decisive moments where we didn’t make the most of it. We needed more luck, quality and composure to get the result we deserved.”