Daniel Tozser scores as Watford held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion at Vicarage Road

Chances had been at a premium in the first half; the best falling to Matej Vydra near the end of the opening period following a counter-attack, but he lifted the ball over the top.

But the Hornets only had to wait for eight minutes of the second half to elapse to take the lead when Brighton’s defensive wall parted obligingly to let a Daniel Tozser free-kick pass through it.

The Hornets were unable to build on their advantage as Brighton increasingly began to ask questions, particularly from set-pieces, and they levelled with 13 minutes remaining when Lewis Dunk got free at the near post to head home a Kazenga LuaLua corner.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the home side, who were far from at their best and struggled to find a cutting edge to their build-up play.

Watford found themselves defensively stretched as Billy McKinlay made four changes from the team that beat Brentford 2-1 on Tuesday night, two of which were enforced.

The Hornets head coach was always going to have to make one alteration at the back, with Daniel Pudil suspended, but Craig Cathcart was ruled out through injury to add to the absence of Gabriele Angella and Gabriel Tamas. The two gaps in defence were filled by Tommie Hoban and, making his first league start of the season, Lloyd Doyley came in at centre-half.

The home side’s other two changes were through choice, as Ikechi Anya replaced Diego Fabrrini out wide, while Almen Abdi was preferred to Odion Ighalo, meaning Vydra moved further forward into the lone striker’s role.

Brighton came into the game without a win in six in the Championship and, like their opponents, also made four changes, with two again being enforced.

Jake Forster-Caskey was suspended, Watford-born striker Craig Mackail-Smith injured, while Danny Holla and LuaLua dropped to the bench. Their places were taken by Rohan Ince, Andrew Crofts, Chris O’Grady and Adrian Colunga.

The Seagulls had plenty of the ball in the opening stages and had the first chance in the fifth minute when O’Grady received possession in space on the left side of the penalty area, but his low drive was comfortably held by Heurelho Gomes.

The home side were given a free-kick in a decent position soon after following a handball, but Abdi’s attempted right-footed curler from 25 yards sailed harmlessly over.

Gary Gardner then attempted to catch Gomes out with an audacious long-range free-kick from just inside the Watford half, but the Hornets keeper was alive to the danger as the driven effort went wide of his right-hand post.

Brighton had another half-chance in the 15th minute when Colunga fired in a low delivery from the right and Crofts’ attempted flick went wide, as the visitors continued to have the better of the possession.

Watford then had a couple of promising passages of attacking play but on the first occasion nobody was in the area apart from Vydra when a Lloyd Dyer cross came in from the left and then Vydra latched onto a poor pass out from David Stockdale, only to pass instead of shoot and the opportunity went begging.

O’Grady saw any sting taken off his shot as it was deflected through to Gomes after Juan Carlos Paredes had been too casual, before – from the home side’s first corner of the match – a Gianni Munari header was held beneath his crossbar by Stockdale.

Doyley picked up the game’s first booking in the 30th minute for preventing Colunga from getting away as Brighton looked to break. Five minutes later though, Hoban couldn’t quite stretch his right leg far enough to get on the end of a Tozser free-kick from the left.

Brighton had the next opening when Joao Teixeira slipped the ball beyond Hoban and into the path of O’Grady, but the striker’s right-footed strike hit the side netting as Gomes had his near post covered.

Watford’s best chance of the first half came three minutes before the interval when, following a Brighton free-kick into their box, Anya won a crucial header to set Vydra away centrally on the counter. He advanced before slipping the ball to his right where Paredes then cut it back into the area to the Czech Republic striker, who spun off his first touch but lifted his attempted left-footed finish over the top.

The Hornets continued to up the attacking ante as the opening period came to a close, with Paredes driving inside after latching onto a stray pass and finding Abdi, whose shot was blocked, as was Munari’s follow-up.

Watford started the second period on the front foot, winning two early corners, before Gardner was cautioned for a blatant trip on Anya, quickly followed by Bruno for a foul on Anya. The Rookery made its feeling known after referee Simon Hooper had not played advantage as the ball was at Vydra’s feet when he blew for that free-kick but they were not complaining when the set piece was taken.

Tozser, who was having another good game, struck the set-piece well enough, but Stockdale was left rooted to the spot as Brighton’s defensive wall parted alarmingly to let the Hungarian’s strike through it and into the back of the net to put the Hornets 1-0 up.

Sami Hyypia immediately made a change, bringing on LuaLua for Colunga, before Vydra added to the yellow card count for a cynical trip on Ince after getting frustrated at losing possession.

Ince was replaced by Holla on the hour and then McKinlay opted to adjust things, bringing on Lewis McGugan for Abdi, while Paredes was the next player to see yellow for a foul on LuaLua.

McGugan wasn’t too far wide with a right-footed strike from 25 yards and neither was Joel Ekstrand – from finding his own net – when he diverted a low LuaLua cross from the right narrowly wide of Gomes’ near post.

Hyypia made his final change in the 72nd minute as Paddy McCourt came on for the injured Crofts, shortly after Munari was cautioned for a foul on LuaLua, and then Dunk headed a LuaLua corner down and wide.

McKinlay made his second change with 16 minutes remaining, as Dyer made way for Sean Murray, but Brighton were continuing to knock at the door and the Hornets failed to heed the warning signs after an O’Grady header from a corner had been deflected over.

From LuaLua’s resultant set piece from the left in the 77th minute, Dunk was not picked up as he got free towards the near post to plant a header beyond Gomes and made it 1-1.

Munari and Gardner traded long-distance efforts before Vydra sent an awkward headed opportunity behind from a deep Tozser corner.

But the type of opportunity that Vydra thrives on arrived with two minutes remaining when he was picked out by a fine through pass from McGugan, but Stockdale was equal to his first-time left-footed strike.

Brighton then played a couple of dangerous balls into the Hornets box before, in the third of five minutes of injury time, it was heart in mouths time when LuaLua fizzed a low delivery into the six-yard area and Gardner narrowly failed to connect with it as the game ended all-square.

Watford: Gomes; Paredes, Doyley, Ekstrand, Hoban; Munari, Tozser; Anya, Abdi (McGugan 62), Dyer (Murray 74); Vydra. Not used: Bond, Fabbrini, Ighalo, Mensah, Doherty.

Brighton & Hove Albion: Stockdale; Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Bennett; Crofts (McCourt 72), Ince (Holla 60), Gardner; Teixeira, O’Grady, Colunga (LuaLua 54). Not used: Walton, Hughes, Chicksen, Toko.

Bookings: Doyley for a foul on Colunga (30); Gardner for a foul on Anya (51); Bruno for a foul on Abdi (52); Vydra for a foul on Ince (58); Paredes for a foul on LuaLua (65); Munari for a foul on LuaLua (72).

Attendance: 16,531 (1,886 away).

Referee: Simon Hooper.