Pearson delighted with Watford’s ability to strike back at the death

Watford boss Nigel Pearson said he was pleased his side fought back deep into second-half stoppage time to earn a point against Leicester.

The Foxes looked to have snatched a late victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday after Ben Chilwell’s rocket.

But Craig Dawson popped up at the other end with minutes left and levelled with a bicycle kick past Kasper Schmeichel.

The point is a vital one for the relegation-battling Hornets, who Pearson said deserved their spoils from the contest.

“It was good to get something from the game,” he told BBC Sport. “It opened up second half and two different styles but as an experience this was never going to be straightforward.

“When you are at home you have to deal with fans not being here and it is strange. A lot if unknowns for the players to deal with. We have some who thrive on the emotional attachments with the fans on matchday. But they have to deal with that.”

He added: “What pleased me today is that we were able to bounce back after conceding late. To concede so late on is a real difficult thing to deal with. But we deserved something from the game. It is a valuable point.

“We have good players and a good group of people here. You can’t underplay that. It is important to go out on difficult circumstances and still perform.

“I am pleased we opted for the five subs because as it turned out we needed to use them. After such a long layoff and relatively short preparation time it is important.”

PEARSON PLEASED WITH DAWSON

On Dawson, Pearson said: “Craig has been frustrated by performances from others before lockdown but he is competitive and will put his body on the line.

“He is committed and will do all he can to do what he did today and create a situation where we get a point from nothing.”

Watford return to action on Thursday when they face Burnley at Turf Moor.

READ MORE: Foxes boss Brendan Rodgers’ reaction