Watford extended their winless run to three matches with yet another dismal display away against Coventry City that ended 0-0.

The result was a fifth goalless draw this season and another game in which they lacked energy and creativity in the attacking third, while struggling to take control in the centre.

It was a level of performance the fans have come to expect with the Hornets going into this match looking to recover from tepid performances from their last two games, including a draw with Millwall and a home defeat to Queens Park Rangers.

The hosts meanwhile have proven difficult to beat at home, losing just four times prior to this match since their move to St Andrews at the start of last season.

Head coach Xisco Munoz promised to make “tactical changes” to his side but opted to continue with the 4-4-2 formation that had struggled to inspire in the previous two games. Will Hughes was left out of the side, with the more natural winger Ken Sema starting out wide in his place. Adam Masina passed a late fitness test to come in at left back, while Andre Gray replaced Joao Pedro up front alongside Troy Deeney.

After lumping a couple of crosses into the Watford box early on, Coventry created the first meaningful effort when Callum O’Hare’s ball in behind found Julien Biamou, who had drifted away from William Troost-Ekong, but dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Watford meanwhile were once again finding it difficult to get Deeney and Gray involved up front, although both were involved in a brief moment of attacking intent around the 15-minute mark with Deeney fouled 25 yards from goal before Sema swept the resulting free kick wide of the mark.

Gray went a little closer to opening the scoring soon after when his lofted effort had to be tipped over the top by Marko Marosi.

The Coventry keeper wasn’t the only one having to do some work, with Daniel Bachmann called on to make a save from Gustavo Hamer’s header on the end of Jamie Allen’s cross from the right. The Austrian made a comfortable save down to his left.

There was little Bachmann could have done to deny Dom Hyam moments later when he got on the end of Hamer’s free kick from the right, but fortunately for the Watford goalkeeper, it was nodded over the top at the back post after it had been deflected into the path of the Coventry player by Masina.

The frustration was once again starting to show among the Watford players, who were displaying no discernible difference to the side that has consistently struggled to create chances for large parts of the season.

Gray let his irritations get the better of him and might have considered himself fortunate to have only received a yellow card for a challenge on Matty James that was both late and clumsy.

Equally rash was Jeremy Ngakia, who tried a shot from distance 35 minutes in, but it flew over the bar, without ever troubling Marosi.

At the other end it was a different story with Dacosta’s cross for Biamou headed just wide of the mark before O’Hare’s shot required a save from Bachmann after the midfielder had wrestled the ball away from Ngakia all too easily.

O’Hare was involved in a final attack before half time when he was given too much space to charge into the Hornets’ half. He backheeled for Hamer on the edge of the box, but his shot was well wide.

Watford needed more intensity, creativity and cohesion to turn their fortunes around, but their first attempt of the second half was lacking all three. Deeney played in Gray on the edge of the box, but Sarr ran in front of the striker as he released a tame effort that ended up deflecting off the winger and into Marosi’s gloves.

Hamer then reminded the visitors of the attacking threat the Sky Blues had shown at times in the first half, guiding a shot towards Bachmann’s goal from the edge of the Watford box, but not far enough into the far corner to sufficiently trouble the keeper.

Moments later Sam McCallum’s shot from distance after a cleared corner was too far the other way and drifted harmlessly wide.

An ever-so-slight increase in Watford’s creative output saw them add to the number of crosses put into the Coventry box, but instead of producing any clear chances for the Hornets, the moves largely resulted in the home side breaking down the other end, forcing some defensive work from the back four.

McCallum went closer than his previous effort from one of those forays forward with a shot from the left that Bachmann had to hold onto with Allen lurking inside the penalty area.

The Watford shot stopper was called into action again in the 70th minute when Leo Ostigard’s free kick from out on the left was met in the centre by Hyam but he put it straight into the keeper’s gloves for another relatively comfortable stop.

Bachmann again was called into action as he dived to his right to deny O’Hare, who fashioned a chance on the end of another counterattack that had broken from a Watford cross.

Marosi had no such work to do with ten minutes remaining when a ball into the box from Masina fell kindly for Sarr, who scuffed his effort wide of the far post, but the keeper did have to make a save when substitute Joao Pedro received the ball in the penalty area only to produce a fairly tame effort.

Deeney then produced a chance that hinted at a strong ending to the game for Watford as his looping header dropped agonisingly against the far post with the Hornets desperate to find a late breakthrough.

However, they reverted back to their old ways soon after, went out with a whimper and had to settle for a point. On reflection, they were perhaps fortunate to get even that.