Jobi gets Hornets out of jail

Goals from Roger Johnson and Peter Whittingham, either side of Jay DeMerit's first of the season, looked to have given the visitors the spoils, particularly after Kasper Schmeichel had produced a stunning injury-time save to thwart Tommy Smith.

But with time already up in Dave Jones' eyes, McAnuff reacted quickest to the loose ball from a corner and curled home a superb last-gasp equaliser to send an ecstatic Aidy Boothoryd sprinting 20 yards down the touchline to join his celebrating players.

Those uncharacteristic celebrations may also have been borne out of relief, but, the fact remains, this was the sixth successive home game Watford have failed to win and that is not good enough for a team leading a division.

Following the 1-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday Boothroyd, not surprisingly, kept faith with the same starting line-up as the Hornets sought to get their home form back on track.

Cardiff boss Jones, meanwhile, made just the one change from the team that secured a 1-0 home victory over Sheffield United on Saturday, and that saw Steven MacLean replace Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink up front.

Watford made their customary positive start and forced a corner on four minutes after Smith had tried to lift a pass from the left to the right side of the penalty area into the path of Marlon King. Nathan Ellington then clipped a header wide of Schmeichel's near post from a deep McAnuff cross.

However, it was the visitors who almost made the breakthrough after six minutes when a ball in from the left wasn't properly cleared and Stephen McPhail fizzed a well-struck 25-yard effort narrowly wide of Richard Lee's right-hand post. Some nice inter-play from the visitors then ended with Gavin Rae shooting high and wide from the edge of the area.

Watford, who were looking increasingly edgy in possession, were almost undone by another precise move after 14 minutes. Tony Capaldi slid the ball into the path of Paul Parry, who got in behind from the Hornets defence from the left, but Lee advanced to the edge of his area and stood his ground well before blocking with his legs.

This prompted Boothroyd to vacate his seat in the stands and he arrived in time to see the first substitution of the game - referee Grant Hegley forced off by injury and replaced by fourth official I Bentley after 18 minutes.

Cardiff continued to look the more purposeful side going forward and they won their first corner on 28 minutes after Whittingham's shot had been blocked. Lee then got ahead of an opponent to claim on the edge of his six-yard box after Rae had clipped the ball back into the heart of the area following the set-piece.

The half-hour mark passed with Watford still having failed to register a meaningful attempt on goal, and Lee came to his side's rescue again soon after, diving smartly to his left to keep out Ledley's low drive after some more lovely inter-play with McPhail.

That prompted Boothroyd to start readying Lee Williamson for an early introduction, but the Watford boss wasn't able to make the change before his side fell behind. Ledley played in a corner from the left and Johnson was not picked up as he headed powerfully past the helpless Hornets keeper to give the visitors a deserved 1-0 lead.

Williamson immediately entered the fray at the expense of the hapless John-Joe O'Toole, who had spent most of the first period chasing shadows, but after 36 minutes Cardiff really should have gone two up.

Ledley was again heavily involved, breaking away down the left before playing the ball across the face of the area to Whittingham, whose run had not been picked up at all. He cut inside before unleashing a drive, but, fortunately for the home side, Jordan Stewart was in the right place to block.

The left-back's next involvement was to booked for a foul on Kevin McNaughton, but as the opening 45 minutes there were an increasing number of ironic chants when the Hornets managed to keep the ball and that spoke volumes.

But the half did finish on a more upbeat note for the home side after McAnuff launched an impressive raid down the left before finding Ellington inside. His well-struck effort was blocked, but Watford managed to keep the ball alive and Smith found King, who turned and fired wide of the near post.

However, that still wasn't enough to prevent the predictable chorus of boos at the interval as the Hornets left the pitch second best in every department, with the possible exception of in goal.

Both Smith and Williamson played dangerous crosses into the Bluebirds' box as Watford started the second-half on the front foot, and that paid off after 48 minutes. Ellington headed the ball back into the area, Smith in turn flicked it on and DeMerit, who had stayed up from a set-piece, turned the ball past Schmeichel to register his first of the season and make it 1-1.

McPhail was then cautioned for a foul on Lloyd Doyley, but on 54 minutes Cardiff had another opportunity when a free-kick from the left was headed goalwards by Johnson and, after Lee had decided to stay on his line, Whittingham lifted the ball narrowly over the target.

But having got themselves back in the game, Watford gifted their opponents the opportunity to go back in front - and they took it with aplomb on 57 minutes. Damien Francis attempted to play a short pass to Williamson, but had to watch as the ball cannoned loose off his team-mate. Whittingham duly latched onto the loose ball and worked himself some space before hitting a precise low, left-footed drive from around 20 yards that beat the dive of Lee to give the visitors the advantage for a second time.

Watford responded with McAnuff forcing Schmeichel into a smart save at his near post with an angled right-footed half-volley, before Smith was lucky to escape punishment after clattering into McNaughton.

After some deliberating, Boothroyd made a second change after 64 minutes and, although it was a bold call, the decision to replace the subdued King with Darius Henderson was generally greeted with a positive response by the faithful.

And the substitute had a chance to level things up six minutes when he beat Schmeichel's clipped ball into the box from the right, but he was unable to direct his header beneath the target.

However, Cardiff then had another period in the ascendancy which ended with Lee producing another smart save to deny Paul Parry. But then the home side had a decent opening of their own when Henderson worked the ball inside to Ellington, but he appeared to slip when attempting to strike an effort on the turn.

The Watford boss played his final hand with six minutes remaining, bringing on Dan Shittu for Matt Jackson, and he almost made the perfect introduction, getting on the end of a McAnuff cross but heading it straight at Schmeichel.

Cardiff manager Jones immediately responded by sacrificing MacLean for vastly experienced defender Darren Purse, and then the visitors could have made sure of the points when Parry broke on the counter downfield, but placed his shot too close to Lee.

Watford predictably piled forward as the final whistle beckoned and after the visitors had done very well to withstand an intense aerial bombardment, Schmeichel made a smart reflex stop to push over a McAnuff piledriver from the edge of the area.

Still the Hornets kept pushing and Smith couldn't believe it when he was denied by an even better Schmichel save in the second of three minutes of injury-time. The height of Shittu was again the source, heading down a cross from the left into the path of the winger who was totally unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box. A goal seemed the only outcome when Smith struck the ball back across the face of the keeper, but, incredibly, he managed to keep it out.

That looked to be game over but nobody had told McAnuff. From the resultant corner, the ball cannoned out to the left side of the area where the former Crystal Palace man latched onto the loose ball and drove inside before unleashing a right-footed curler that flew past the helpless Schmeichel to send Vicarage Road into dilerium and a relieved manager sprinting 20 yards down the touchline to join in the celebrations.

Watford: Lee; Doyley, DeMerit, Jackson (Shittu, 86), Stewart; Smith, O'Toole (Williamson, 33), Francis, McAnuff; King (D Henderson, 64), Ellington. Not used: Ainsworth and Poom.

Cardiff City: Schmeichel; McNaughton, Loovens, Johnson, Capaldi; Whittingham, McPhail, Rae, Ledley; Parry, MacLean (Purse, 85). Not used: Blake, Ramsey, Hasselbaink and Oakes.

Bookings: Stewart for a foul on McNaughton after 38 mins; McPhail for a foul on Doyley after 51 mins.

Attendance: 17,014.

Referee: Grant Hegley (replaced by I Bentley after 18 mins).