Watford suffer fourth consecutive defeat as Cardiff City win at Vicarage Road

The Hornets had chances to go in front before a misjudgement from Heurehlo Gomes gave Adam Le Fondre the simplest of chances to give the Bluebirds a 12th-minute lead.

The hosts may well have gone on to win the game had they converted one of the numerous opportunities they created, particularly in the opening 15 minutes of the second half.

But the manner in which they finished the game on the day when Graham Taylor returned to have a stand renamed in his honour was alarming. They lost belief, seemed to run out of ideas, and their efforts to get back on terms turned from relatively incisive to increasingly futile, with wayward shots becoming a growing feature of their play.

Slavisa Jokanovic once again shuffled his pack, making six changes to the starting XI that were beaten 2-1 by leaders Derby County last weekend but, significantly, switched to the 3-5-2 that has served the Hornets so well in the past.

Gomes was back in goal after recovering from his tendonitis problem, Gabriele Angella returned to the defence, Almen Abdi, Gianni Munari and Ikechi Anya came into midfield and Matej Vydra started up front.

Fernando Forestieri, Lloyd Doyley and Lloyd Dyer dropped to the bench that also included new loan recruit Adlene Guedioura, Keith Andrews and Odion Igahlo were not involved in the match-day squad, while Jonathan Bond was ruled out with a collarbone problem.

By contrast, Bluebirds boss Russell Slade made just the one change from the team that beat Reading 2-1 last time out, with Kenwyne Jones preferred to Federico Machdea up front.

Watford started promisingly and almost took the lead in the fourth minute when David Marshall was unable to hold a stinging Daniel Tozser shot from the edge of the penalty area and the ball fell to Troy Deeney, who chose to switch the ball onto his right foot instead of taking it first time with his left and saw his follow up cleared from close to the goalline.

The visitors had their first opening four minutes later when a Craig Noone cross from the left was just too high for Jones, but Anthony Pilkington came in behind his teammate and headed back across goal and narrowly wide.

Back came the hosts though, with Deeney setting Vydra free in the area but Marshall was quickly off his line to make a reaction save as the Czech Republic international tried to lift the ball beyond him.

The Hornets had started encouragingly but they were rather the architects of their own downfall in the 12th minute as the Bluebirds made the breakthrough.

The problems started with a sloppy cross-field pass from Sebastien Bassong pass that saw possession conceded before the ball was worked to Pilkington, who hung up a cross from the right. Gomes came to try and clear but was beaten to the punch for Jones, who got clattered by the keeper for his troubles. The ball then cannoned off Gomes’ left-hand post and Le Fondre was left with the simplest of finishes to make it 1-0.

Watford sought a quick response but what attacking forays they were able to put together were let down by the quality of the final ball. Indeed, it was the visitors who had the next effort on goal in the 21st minute when Le Fondre fired over from outside the 18-yard box.

But the home side had a great chance to level in the 25th minute when Vydra was set free in the area, but as he came inside and looked like he was going to pull the trigger with only Marshall to beat the ball seemed to get stuck under his feet and, ultimately, the opening went begging.

Anya came inside off the left flank and fired high and wide, before Ben Turner met a free-kick with a far-post header which he put wide of Gomes’ left-hand upright.

But it took an excellent challenge from Matthew Connolly to prevent Vydra having another clear opening shortly after the half-hour after he had been released by Deeney, as the visitors conceded their first corner of the match.

Prior to that opening, Le Fondre had sent a shot wide of the near post, but Watford were still looking the more likely side to score the next goal and in the 37th minute Juan Carlos Paredes released the overlapping Angella, who fired the ball narrowly over from the right side of the 18-yard box.

But Cardiff could have doubled their lead in the last action of the opening half when a mistake by Paredes allowed Le Fondre to fire in a shot, which Gomes dropped smartly to save before referee Philip Gibbs adjudged the keeper had been fouled by Jones as he followed in.

Watford had their first chance of the second half within 50 seconds of the restart when Angella’s diagonal ball was flicked on by Deeney and Munari closed in on goal but was denied by Marshall.

Cardiff were forced into a change in the 51st minute when the injured Connolly was replaced by Fabio, but moments later another Deeney flick-on released Anya but, under pressure, he lifted the ball into the side netting.

Watford continued to knock at the door and only a superb reaction save by the Scotland keeper kept out an Abdi header following an Anya cross, before Munari’s volleyed follow-up was blocked and Tozser screwed the rebound from that off target.

Vydra fired another effort from outside the area wide and then Anya set up another chance, this time for Deeney, who saw his right-footed effort deflected narrowly wide.

The Bluebirds goal was increasingly living a charmed life and in the 60th minute Vydra drilled in a low ball which Munari got a touch on, only to see it rebound away off the far post. Next, Angella’s cross-field ball picked out Anya, who came inside before flashing a shot wide.

Jokanovic made a double change in the 66th minute, bringing on Guedioura and Forestieri for Abdi and Paredes.

Gomes did have a save to make soon over, pushing over an angled rising Pikington drive, but in the process of hitting the shot the Cardiff midfielder appeared to pull his hamstring and had to be replaced by Joe Ralls.

Le Fondre was then booked for clearly tugging back Vydra, as he sought to break away, before the Cardiff striker pulled a shot wide of Gomes’ near post.

The visitors’ final change was made in the 73rd minute as a limping Aron Gunnarsson made way for Tom Adeyemi. Watford had lost some of their attacking momentum at this stage though, although Angella, who was increasingly pushing further forward, did lash a shot wide from outside the area.

Indeed, Cardiff could have made the game safe in the 80th minute when Le Fondre was able to get to the by-line and cut the ball back for Adeyemi, but his rather mis-hit effort was comfortably dealt with by Guedioura as it made its way towards goal.

Next, an Angella mistake but his own side in trouble as Adeyemi worked the ball to Ralls, but the substitute’s shot was blocked.

Forestieri became the next player to miss the target, although not by too much with a left-footed strike from the edge of the area. That effort came either side of two Tozser strikes, both of which were more wayward.

Five minutes of added time offered the Hornets hope of preventing a fourth straight defeat but by this stage the hosts were looking increasingly flat and short of ideas as their promotion challenge continued to falter.

Bassong did venture forward to hook a Forestieri delivery towards goal, but it was always drifting wide as Marshall comfortably gathered.

The final whistle brought a loud chorus of boos from the Hornets faithful as Jokanovic looked on from the touchline before heading down the tunnel.

Watford: Gomes; Angella, Ekstrand, Bassong; Paredes (Forestieri 66), Munari, Tozser, Abdi (Guedioura 66), Anya; Deeney, Vydra. Not used: Gilmartin, Doyley, Cathcart, Pudil, Dyer.

Cardiff City: Marshall; Brayford, Morrison, Turner, Connolly (Fabio 51); Pilkington, Gunnarsson (Adeyemi 73), Whittingham, Noone (Ralls 70); Jones, Le Fondre. Not used: Moore, Macheda, Moller Daehli, Maynard.

Bookings: Le Fondre for a foul on Vydra (71).

Attendance: 15,668 (1,035 away).

Referee: Philip Gibbs.