Half a world away from Vicarage Road, China was in lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, but one hardcore fan and his son stayed up way past the eight-year-old's bedtime to watch history in the making.
Few expected Watford to get anything from their home tie with Liverpool's 'Inevitables', a team who had won their last 18 Premier League games and had been unbeaten in 44 matches, but Peng felt that his favourite team were on the verge of something special.
"When the game kicked off, China was still in home quarantine amid the Covid-19 epidemic, and I didn't have to go to work. My son and I were really looking forward to this game," he recalls. "I remembered it was 1:30am, I thought this game was going to be a special one. Watford were trying their best to stay up, having just lost 0-3 to Manchester United. Liverpool were the top of the league and seemed invincible. But I believed Watford was going to do something big, at least a draw."
Peng had been turned on to the charms of Watford and striker Troy Deeney in 2013 when an unthinkable series of events saw Leicester City awarded a 97th minute penalty in the EFL Championship play-off semi-final, already having one foot in the final thanks to the away goals rule. However, the controversial spot kick was saved and an incredible Watford counter saw Deeney put the ball in the net and send the Hornets through in the most remarkable circumstances.
"I have been watching football since 1995, and was a huge fan. I remember that time when Serie A was the hottest league in China, and it was broadcast on CCTV. We can only watch Premier League matches on Sichuan TV. But at the time, I didn’t know much about Watford.
"That was until 2013, when Watford miraculously eliminated Leicester City in the Championship play-off semi-final. Deeney’s amazing goal brought this tough team to my attention. I became a Watford fan."
Since then, Peng has gotten up early or stayed up late to watch Deeney and Watford on television as often as possible, tuning in at all hours of the night to cheer on his far-away heroes.
That same hero helped Watford end Liverpool's unbeaten run in February, netting the third goal in an historic 3-0 victory, producing another Watford Miracle. "It was a monumental win, not only for our club, but massive in the sense that Liverpool hadn't been beaten all season," said Deeney. "To go and not just win, but convincingly win and do it in front of our home crowd was a massive achievement."
"I don't think we even fully believed that we could beat them at the time! We just wanted to make it as uncomfortable as possible for them. I think we just wanted it more and not just myself but Watford fans will look back on it in time and think that's probably our best victory ever in the Premier League."
Nigel Pearson gave the players a few days off before the Liverpool game and made them feel relaxed leading into the massive tie. "He told us to relax and enjoy ourselves," Deeney said. "Go out and enjoy yourselves because this is what football is all about. I enjoy those physical battles and I've been on record saying Virgil van Dijk is the best defender in the world. But you want to be the one to make a dent in his armour and thankfully in that game I did well and got a goal.
"We're going to live on that game for the rest of our lives. It must have been surreal for the fans. It was surreal for us. You go in with expectations of how tough it’s going to be, but see the first goal and then get a bit giddy, but by the time the third goal went in, we were kind of like the fans 'Is this real? What's going on here?' It's a massive occasion that we'll all look back on."
Watford's ability to produce these sort of heroic epics time and time again is part of the appeal that made Peng fall in love with them in the first place: "I love the respect the club has for each fan, and the feeling that the club works miracles time and time again. This lets us know that anything is possible, and that strenuous effort pays off, just as it does in life."
Just like Deeney, Peng is no stranger to putting in strenuous effort and achieved one of his life's goals when he was able to travel to England to visit Vicarage Road.
Deeney is amazed at the levels that Peng has gone to just to support Watford and finds it incredible that he will sacrifice his sleep every weekend just to watch him on television.
"To hear that someone right around the other side of the world actually knows who Troy Deeney is, is quite surreal. To hear the dedication he has to get up at 4 or 5am to watch a game is massive. It was a humbling experience meeting him in person.
"I do think fans like him are a little bit mad too, to be honest! They must be a little bit crazy to get up at those hours because I definitely wouldn't do it."
Meeting Deeney was one the best moments in Peng's life, but knowing how much it means to Deeney too made it even more special.
"I was extremely excited before I went to the UK, and when I met Deeney, I thought 'Oh my God, he is such a big friendly giant.' For Watford fans, especially in China, Deeney is a symbol of Watford. This sense is like that of Maldini and Milan. Just mention Deeney, you think of Watford and you think of the Watford Miracle. Deeney then represents Watford.”
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