Wilfried Zaha again earns the penalty that gives Crystal Palace victory over Watford

The fixture was the first meeting between the clubs since the Eagles triumphed in the 2013 Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium. Wilfried Zaha won the decisive penalty that day and more than two years on he was to do the same again, this time Allan Nyom the player to concede to enable Yohan Cabaye to fire home from 12 yards.

While the Hornets battled throughout in a match that became increasingly scrappy as it went on and disrupted by numerous free-kicks, they struggled to carve out clear openings.

Jose Manuel Jurado came the closest to scoring with a free-kick that struck the crossbar just after the interval, but Dwight Gayle was also to hit the woodwork, this time from open play, before the game’s key moment.

The Hornets fought to get back on terms after going behind but Palace showed their Premier League nous and were increasingly content to break up the game, often by foul means but it succeeded in achieving its aim.

Cabaye’s penalty meant Watford became the last of the 92 clubs in England’s four divisions to concede at home, although it is now 13 consecutive league games for the Hornets without conceding in the opening period following a goalless first half.

Following back-to-back wins and with no new injury concerns, Quique Sanchez Flores decided to leave well alone and named an unchanged line-up.

The Eagles came into the game following back-to-back league defeats and Alan Pardew made four changes from the team that lost 1-0 at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

Having played in the Capital One Cup victory over Charlton Athletic, Wayne Hennessey kept his place in goal as did striker Gayle following his hat-trick in midweek. Captain Scott Dann returned from injury and Yannick Bolasie was also included after signing a new three-and-a-half year contract. Keeper Alex McCarthy, James McArthur and Zaha dropped to a bench that also included Hornets old boy Adrian Mariappa while Damien Delaney was not involved.

The visitors signalled their intent from the kick off as Bolasie embarked on a surging run into the penalty area before harmlessly slicing an attempted shot out of play for a throw.

The Hornets were soon on the front foot though, with Almen Abdi and Ikechi Anya dovetailing nicely down the left before the home side almost worked an opening when Troy Deeney’s lay-off allowed him to try and get on the end of a through ball, but Palace were able to clear the danger.

Etienne Capoue fired the first shot of the afternoon across the face of goal and wide of the far post after being fed by Abdi, as the high intensity start to proceedings continued.

Hennessey had to hold a low drive from Deeney in the 12th minute after Anya had taken the opportunity to advance into the space in front of him when an Abdi free-kick had been headed back into the direction of the Scotland international.

But it was Heurelho Gomes who was to make the game’s first significant stop shortly afterwards; spreading himself superbly to block a Brede Hangeland header from close range after the big central defender had been picked out by a Cabaye free-kick from outside the left edge of the 18-yard box.

Palace had another opportunity in the 18th minute when Nyom conceded a free-kick around 25 yards from his goal. Cabaye could only find the Hornets wall with his set piece and then Jason Puncheon fired the follow-up wide of Gomes’ near post.

But the hosts were the next side to threaten as Jose Manuel Jurado set Anya racing away down the left, taking on and beating Martin Kelly before his attempted pull back from the byline was headed behind for a corner.

Watford were having a decent spell in the opposition half as the game approached the half-an-hour mark, although the tempo of play had dropped off, and their next opening came when Abdi was given a second bite at a cross from the right side of the penalty area, but Deeney was unable to direct his header on target.

It was then Palace’s turn to take the upper hand in terms of possession but they were unable to do much with it in terms of threatening the goal as their opponents remained on track to play yet another first half of a league fixture without conceding.

Abdi was the first player to be booked in the 39th minute for bringing down Bolasie near the right edge of the penalty area. Cabaye drove in the resultant free-kick, Gayle made a forward move to try and get on the end of it but the ball flew harmlessly out of play.

Watford then produced a swift move that originated from Ighalo’s tenacity and the ball was then worked through Ben Watson and Jurado to Anya, whose low delivery from the left was destined for the foot of Ighalo until it was intercepted by Dann.

The Hornets were to have the final opportunity of the opening 45 minutes when Ighalo was held back by Hangeland in a central position around 25 yards from goal. Abdi took the set piece but the ball clipped the top of the wall as it went over as the first half ended goalless.

The hosts were quickly out of the blocks at the start of the second period and within 90 seconds had come within inches of making the breakthrough.

The source was another free-kick in a central position, this time conceded by Joe Ledley. Jurado took over set piece duties on this occasion, got the ball up and over the wall but then looked on as it cannoned back off the crossbar, with Hennessey beaten. The ball did bounce back into the heart of the area but it didn’t bounce at a nice height for Deeney to control his follow-up header and he put it over.

The Hornets then had to defend for a spell before their next chance arose in the 54th minute when Abdi hit a low shot from outside of the 18-yard box and Hennessey grabbed the ball at the second opportunity.

Another opening almost arose a couple of minutes later when Jurado clipped in a corner from the right, the ball sat up teasingly in the six-yard box but it fell behind Sebastian Prodl and the visitors were able to clear.

It was then the Eagles' turn to have a free-kick in a promising central position. Bakary Sako took it and opted to go low with a side-footed effort and Gomes had to get across to push it behind.

Having been denied by the woodwork earlier in the half, the frame of the goal came to Watford’s rescue on the hour when Sako’s low ball in from the left presented Gayle with the best opportunity yet and his attempted right-footed finish beat the stranded Gomes but struck the angle of post and bar, much to the relief of the majority inside Vicarage Road.

Both sides then made their first changes in quick succession; Zaha coming on for Sako before Steven Berghuis replaced Abdi.

And it was the introduction of Zaha that was to have a pivotal impact on proceedings as history somewhat repeated itself.

It was the winger that won the penalty that saw Palace to Play-Off glory at Watford’s expense. That time Marco Cassetti conceded it and on this occasion it was Nyom who was adjudged to have been the guilty party by referee Anthony Taylor for clipping Zaha as he took the right-back on down that side of the penalty area.

After Jurado had been booked for protesting, Cabaye confidently fired the spot-kick high to the right of Gomes, who had guessed the right way, to give Palace the lead.

Ighalo saw a couple of trademark twists and turns in the area end with shots being blocked as the Hornets sought to get back on terms, while Nathan Ake replaced Nyom.

Cabaye was then booked for a rather crude trip on Jurado before the Palace midfielder’s afternoon ended when he was replaced by McArthur.

Palace twice could have made the game safe as the final ten minutes approached; Gayle turning wide from close range after a cross from the left had been headed back into the danger zone and then Puncheon curled a free-kick into Gomes’ arms after Prodl had been booked for a foul near the edge of the area.

Further yellow cards followed for Puncheon and Cathcart as the game continued in its scrappy fashion, before Victor Ibarbo came on for his Hornets debut in place of Watson.

Palace though, were still looking more likely to add a second than Watford net an equaliser and they had another opportunity when Gayle was sent away. Although the hosts were able to get bodies back, the Palace striker was still able to get a shot away after checking back out but he fired across the face of goal and wide.

Zaha was the next player to be booked as the multitude of fouls continued but the fourth official signalling a minimum of five minutes extra offered the Hornets hope of salvaging a point.

However, it was the Eagles who were to go close again when Zaha cut in off the left and fired a right-footed shot narrowly over from the edge of the area.

But the home side still kept pushing and when Deeney’s clipped ball into the area was headed back out as far as Jurado, the Spaniard sensed his chance but his well-struck effort was repelled by Henessey, who flung himself at the ball.

Watford: Gomes; Nyom (Ake 75), Prodl, Cathcart, Anya; Capoue, Watson (Ibarbo 82); Abdi (Berghuis 64), Deeney, Jurado; Ighalo. Not used: Arlauskis, Paredes, Guedioura, Diamanti.

Crystal Palace: Hennessey; Kelly, Dann, Hangeland, Souare; Ledley, Cabaye (McArthur 77); Puncheon, Sako (Zaha 61), Bolasie, Gayle (Campbell 85). Not used: McCarthy, Croll, Mariappa, Gray.

Bookings: Abdi for a foul on Bolasie (39); Jurado for dissent (70); Cabaye for a foul on Jurado (76); Prodl for a foul (79); Puncheon for a foul on Watson (81); Cathcart for a foul on Gayle (82); Zaha for a foul on Capoue (87); Hennessey for time wasting (90).

Attendance: 20,168.

Referee: Anthony Taylor.