The frustration for Watford was less that they played badly, more that they failed to play at all. Too many of Walter Mazzarri’s players looked less than enamoured with the idea of a midday kick-off on a cold day in Hertfordshire and while they might have got away with such inertia if Stoke City had turned up with a similarly slack attitude, the visitors punished them with a professional, resolute display.
Stoke were good value for their first victory since 31 October, playing with greater imagination than their opponents, creating the clearer openings and claiming the points from a largely forgettable match thanks to an own goal from Heurelho Gomes. Watford, who lost Miguel Britos to a late red card, could not argue with the disgruntled reaction from their supporters after the final whistle.
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