10 Most Dramatic Late Winners In Domestic English Football

I know I’ve touched on this already and I’m not saying anything we don’t all already know, but the play-offs can be absolutely bloody brilliant at times. It’s condensed football drama in which season-long form can be rendered all but irrelevant and the margin between success and failure is minuscule.

The Championship play-offs in particular have thrown up more than their fair share of gripping encounters over the years, and the 2013 semi final between Leicester and Watford is perhaps its finest offering to date.

Leicester had won the first leg 1-0 at home, while the second leg at Watford was 2-1 to the hosts with minutes remaining. The game was 2-2 and headed for extra time when, in the 96th minute, Leicester were handed an extremely soft penalty and a chance to put the result beyond all doubt. Watford were seemingly down and out.

Anthony Knockaert stepped up to take the penalty he had won, only to see it spectacularly saved by Manuel Almunia. The ball then rebounded out and Watford countered at pace. As they marauded up the other end, a cross was swung into the Leicester box, Jonathan Hogg nodded it down and Troy Deeney absolutely thumped the ball home with 96 minutes and 52 seconds on the clock to send Watford through to the final.

Imagine being a fan of those two clubs in those final minutes. From the depths of despair to unbridled joy (and vice versa) in mere seconds. It’s insane moments like this which go some way to explaining why football is so beloved and can sometimes be such an absolute joy to watch unfold.