Deulofeu comes off bench to spearhead incredible Watford comeback against Wolves and set up Man City FA Cup final
The Spaniard scored either side of Troy Deeney's injury-time penalty to overturn a 2-0 deficit at Wembley
SUPER-SUB Gerard Deulofeu carved his place in FA Cup folklore with the deadly double which slayed Wolves to set up a fairytale cup final showdown with Manchester City on May 18.
The 25-year-old Spaniard wasn’t even on the pitch when this epic semi-final kicked off at 4pm.
And he was back on the bench by the time referee Michael Oliver blew the final whistle to bring down the final curtain on this sensational affair, more than two hours later, having limped off towards the end of extra-time.
But how the Watford match-winner made the most of his 46 minutes on the Wembley pitch - first breaking Wolves’ resistance, then their hearts with two crucial strikes.
Deulofeu raced to be with his celebrating Watford team-mates at the end of one of the greatest comeback Wembley has ever seen.
His clincher came after 104 minutes of action when he worked a one-two with Andre Gray before calmly slipping the ball beyond John Ruddy to send Hornets fans wild.
Meanwhile, there was only misery for Wolves’ inconsolable players who lay on the Wembley turf with only tears for souvenirs at the end.
However Nuno Esperito Santo’s side played their part in one of the most memorable and dramatic FA cup clashes in years – not that it will be any consolation to them.
STING IN THE TAIL
The men from Molineux appeared to have one foot in their first FA cup final for 59 years when they led 2-0 with just 11 minutes remaining, after Matt Doherty and Raul Jimenez apparently put Watford to the sword with a goal in each half.
However the Hornets refused to die and had a sting in the tail for Wolves as Delefeu’s wonder-goal after 79 minutes gave them renewed hope.
The Spaniard produced a finish worthy of the occasion when Wolves failed to clear Jose Holebas’ long throw and Leander Dendocker stood off Deulofeu who curled a world-class chip beyond Ruddy and in at the far corner.
Then, as Wolves wobbled, Belgian midfielder Dendoncker tripped Troy Deeney in injury time and, after consulting VAR, ref Oliver pointed to the spot.
Deeny closed his eyes for a moment to compose himself before drilling the ball beyond Ruddy who got a touch to the ball but couldn’t prevent it setting up extra time.
Earlier Mexican hitman Raul Jimenez thought he had KO’d Watford with a stunning second-half chest and volley to add to Doherty’s headed opener.
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He celebrated by slipping on a gold and black mask, in tribute to his hero, Mexican WWF wrestling legend Sin Cara who had given him the gift earlier this week.
It appeared to be the perfect payback from the striker after Wolves paid Benfica a club-record £32million to make his loan move from Benfica permanent, earlier this week.
However Wolves’ mask eventually slipped as Deulofeu dragged his side off the canvas, spearheading the Hornets' spectacular turnaround and the most famous win in the club’s history.
