Watford were unable to reward their fans with a late Christmas present and a fourth successive win for the first time in four years as they were beaten 1-0 by Wolves at Vicarage Road this evening.

Quite how the game was still goalless at the interval was a mystery because Watford could have had few complaints had they been 3-0 or 4-0 down at half-time – they were that poor.

They were frequently out-thought and out-fought, the passing was poor and the general pattern of their play in all departments lacked cohesion. The one player who was not found lacking in terms of performance was Heurelho Gomes, who made several saves including two top-class ones.

The Hornets did improve after the break – it was hard for them not to – after switching to a 4-4-2 formation, but they were finally undone in the 57th minute when Nouha Dicko converted the easiest of chances after being set up by Rajiv van La Parra.

Substitute Odion Ighalo was unfortunate to hit the woodwork twice as the Hornets’ search for an equaliser became increasingly desperate, but it was to be a disappointing end to the year for Slavisa Jokanovic’s men in their own back yard.

The Hornets head coach was always going to have to make one change to the side that won 1-0 at Reading due to the suspension to Gabriele Angella, but he ultimately opted for three. Daniel Pudil and Adlene Guedioura dropped to the bench and into the starting line-up came Lloyd Doyley, the fit-again Gianni Munari and Juan Carlos Paredes.

Wolves came into the game off the back of just win in their last eight league outings and Hornets favourite Kenny Jackett decided on two personnel adjustments from the team that drew 1-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out. In came Jack Price and Dicko as James Henry and another popular figure from Vicarage Road’s past, on-loan Sunderland striker Danny Graham, were among the replacements.

The Hornets got the game underway knowing a win would take them up to fifth in the table following the afternoon’s results and they began in a positive enough fashion, with Ikechi Anya seeing plenty of the ball in the first few minutes.

The hosts had the first semblance of an opening when Almen Abdi dispossessed an opponent and broke forward before slipping the ball to Matej Vydra, but his shot from outside the penalty area was blocked.

Dicko sent an audacious hooked half-volley from distance high and wide at the other end, but in the ninth minute Wolves spurned a decent opportunity to take the lead.

Bakary Sakho out-muscled Paredes off the ball on the visitors’ left before pulling it across the face of the 18-yard box where it was allowed to run to van La Parra, who placed an effort narrowly wide of Gomes’ right-hand post as the Hornets’ goalkeeper stood rooted to the spot.

This offered the visitors’ encouragement though, and soon after Kevin Mc Donald got to the byline on the right side of the area and pulled the ball back for Dominic Iorfa, who lifted it over the top.

The hosts then needed Gomes to be at his best to stop them from going behind as he reacted superbly to get down and tip Dave Edwards’ close-range effort around his near post after more good work by van La Parra. Then from the resultant corner, the Hornets keeper had to get down to push away Edwards’ near-post flick before the ball was scrambled clear from inside the six-yard area.

Watford did gain some brief respite before Gomes excelled again, going full length to tip over an excellent 30-yard strike from Sakho that was destined for the top corner until the Brazilian’s top-class intervention.

Still the danger wasn’t over as from the corner, the ball fell for van La Parra on the edge of the area, but again he could find no way past Gomes as the keeper got down to push the shot around his right-hand post. Then from the next set piece, Edwards saw a goal-bound effort blocked, before Sako hit the follow up wide.

Watford had been very much second best up to this stage of the contest, but they did offer an attacking threat when Troy Deeney had an effort blocked after running at the Wolves rearguard and then a Daniel Tozser strike from further out also suffered the same fate.

Paredes also saw a shot deflected into the side netting, but in the 34th minute the visitors spurned another gilt-edged opening to take the lead.

Sakho was the creator with a through ball which completely bisected the Hornets defence to put Dicko through on goal, he drew Gomes but then passed wide of the keeper’s left-hand post.

Deeney was booked shortly before the interval for a foul on Kortney Hause, but they were still relatively few signs of the hosts finding their cohesiveness as the opening period somehow ended with the hosts all-square.

Perhaps surprisingly, Jokanovic resisted the temptation to make any changes in personnel for the second period, but he did change the formation to 4-4-2.

Within four minutes of the restart Watford had mustered their first on-target attempt of the game as Deeney showed strength to hold off an opponent and head a cross back into the path of Vydra, but he hit an attempted half-volley into the ground and Carl Ikeme wasn’t unduly troubled.

The attacking upturn continued though, with Vydra finding Deeney, who came inside and tried to open a shooting opportunity before laying the ball back to Tozser, who fired at Ikeme.

But any suggestion that this would lead to the Hornets taking the lead was to be firmly put to bed when the visitors got the goal their first-half display so deserved in the 57th minute.

Wolves built down their left and van La Parra was able to get down the side of the defence with far too much ease before laying the ball across to Dicko, who couldn’t really miss the simplest of chances to make it 1-0.

Worse could have followed for the home side when Sakho was allowed to cross from the right and Edwards improvised with an overhead kick, but he put it wide of Gomes’ near post.

Jokanovic was already preparing a double change at this stage and it came in the 63rd minute, as Ighalo and Fernando Forestieri replaced Vydra and Munari respectively.

Richard Stearman was then booked for deliberate handball and from the resultant free-kick the Hornets almost fashioned an equaliser as Deeney nodded the ball down in the six-yard box, but the ball didn’t fall nicely for one of three teammates.

Another chance came and went in the 69th minute when, following a corner from the right, Doyley flicked the ball down and Sebastien Bassong had two attempts at forcing it past Ikeme but was unable to.

After Tozser had been booked for pulling back Edwards, the Hungarian was replaced by Guedioura in the 72nd minute and then Deeney sent a shot on the turn not too far wide of the far post.

Watford were starting to knock at the door and they went very close to equalising in the 74th minute when the ball was rolled to Ighalo on the right side of the area, as he shaped to come inside a defender slipped and the striker rifled in a shot which almost surprised Ikeme as he managed to divert it onto his crossbar at the near post.

After Craig Cathcart had become the third Watford player to see yellow following a coming together with Dicko, the Wolves striker was replaced by Tommy Rowe. His appearance was to be brief due to injury and James Henry came on in the last minute of normal time, before Ethan Ebanks-Landell replaced Edwards.

By this stage though, Watford had resorted to the kitchen sink approach in their increasingly desperate search for an equaliser and they so nearly got one when a Forestieri pass broke for Ighalo in the area and he beat Ikeme but not the crossbar.

The Hornets can claim they were unfortunate not to get a point but on the balance of the 90 minutes they could have few complaints about the outcome.

Watford: Gomes; Doyley, Cathcart, Bassong; Paredes, Munari (Forestieri 63), Tozser (Guedioura 72), Abdi, Anya; Deeney, Vydra (Igahlo 63). Not used: Bond, Pudil, Dyer, Hoban.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth, Stearman, Hause; McDonald, Price, van La Parra, Edwards (Ebanks-Landell 90), Sako; Dicko (Rowe 85 (Henry 89)). Not used: Kuszczak, Clarke, Graham, Evans.

Bookings: Deeney for a foul on Hause (43); Stearman for handball (64); Tozser for a foul on Edwards (71); Cathcart for a coming together with Dicko (82).

Referee: Graham Scott.