Watford’s run of fixtures against many of the Premier League’s leading lights ended with a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, but there were positives to take from the Hornets’ performance as a busy December got under way.

The visitors were comfortable winners courtesy of a Bernardo Silva brace after Raheem Sterling had headed them into an early lead and they could, and really should, have scored more after the Hornets again contributed to their own downfall, with Danny Rose having a poor night defensively.

However, Daniel Bachmann made several fine saves to keep the margin of defeat down before Watford’s attacking efforts were rewarded when substitute Cucho Hernandez pulled one back.

The Colombian then almost set up Joshua King for a second as the home side finished the game positively to offer further evidence that they have the attacking wherewithal to get away from trouble if they can address their deficiencies at the back.

Following the fine performance in Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat against Chelsea, it was no surprise that Claudio Ranieri opted to keep changes to a minimum, with Rose replacing thigh injury victim Adam Masina in the only enforced alteration. The inclusion of James Morris was the only change on the bench.

City came into the game off the back of six straight wins in all competitions and Pep Guardiola opted to shuffle his pack, making five changes to the team that beat Aston Villa 2-1 in midweek.

In came Kyle Walker, Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, with Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez among those to drop to a bench that also included Kevin De Bruyne and two goalkeepers.

The Hornets again chose to attack the Rookery in the first half but they barely got on touch on the ball from the kick off as City gained their first corner inside two minutes. And it almost led to the breakthrough as Foden’s delivery from the right was headed goalwards by Ruben Dias, but Joao Pedro got back well to head off the line. However, it didn’t stay goalless for much longer.

Another spell of City keep ball ended with Foden getting in behind the Hornets’ defence on the left, he crossed and Sterling, who had lost Rose, was completely unmarked and with the easiest of headers to make it 1-0 inside four minutes. It could easily have got worse very quickly.

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Sterling wasn’t far away from getting a second three minutes later, hitting a left-footed curler which Bachmann dived to turn away after Walker and Silva had combined to free the England man.

That led to a second corner from which Grealish should have made it 2-0 when he was left completely unmarked to attack Foden’s delivery, but he headed straight at Bachmann.

The Watford keeper again thwarted the former Aston Villa man moments later when he denied him with his legs after latching on to a Foden pass inside, the Hornets defence having again been sliced apart.

The hosts though, had started to get some time in the opposition half and a storming break forward by Moussa Sissoko threatened to unpick the City rear guard, but attempts by Emmanuel Dennis and Pedro to set up opportunities were both repelled.

Pedro set up an attack in the 17th minute which saw Tom Cleverley glance the ball on into the path of Dennis, who had the freedom of the right flank as he zoned in on the 18-yard box before checking back onto his left foot and hitting a low drive which Ederson had to go to ground to save at his near post.

The Brazilian’s opposite number did well again four minutes later; Bachmann reacting sharply to save after being almost wrong-footed by a deflected Grealish shot from the edge of the area.

Grealish then fired over after some nifty footwork from Sterling had threatened to cause more havoc, another such moment coming when the visitors broke three-on-one following the Hornets’ first corner of the contest, but Dennis did well to get back and dispossess Sterling.

The in-form Nigerian then tried his luck from 25 yards after a free-kick was rolled short to him after Joshua King had been fouled by Dias, but Ederson was able to make a comfortable enough save.

Sissoko shot high and wide soon after, leading to volume being turned up another notch in the Rookery, only for it to be immediately silenced by City’s second goal.

Rose was to be subsequently booked for clattering into Grealish on halfway, but referee Simon Hooper played advantage as Ilkay Gundogan was slipped in behind the Hornets defence. Bachmann did well to save his effort, but Cleverley and William Troost-Ekong ran into each other, allowing Silva to get away down the right side of the six-yard box and slot home on the angle.

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Troost-Ekong was a lucky man moments later when he all but missed an attempted clearing header to a cross, the ball bouncing off Silva and sitting up invitingly for Foden, but he slashed wildly at the shot.

The largely one-way traffic continued for the remainder of the half, but Watford did not concede anymore clear goal-conceding opportunities as they managed to keep the deficit to two at the break.

Ranieri unsurprisingly decided to shake things up at half-time, with Juraj Kucka and Hernandez both warming up during the interval. They replaced Cleverley and Imran Louza at the start of the second period.

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The hosts won their first corner of the second half, but Hernandez’s delivery from the right was headed well over the top by Pedro, who was now operating behind King in a revised 4-2-3-1 formation.

Bachmann was extended for the first time in the second half in the 52nd minute when he did well to keep out a Sterling shot, the England man having been given a clear run at Craig Cathcart after City had countered when Dennis’ efforts to carve out an opening at the other end had been seen off.

Sissoko dragged a 25-yard effort harmlessly wide after 58 minutes but it came after the Hornets had been able to gain some respite in the opposite half, although Bachmann’s next save came soon after when got down at the near post to push behind a Foden snap-shot. Rodri then hooked the ball wide from Gundogan’s resultant corner.

Gundogan should have done better when presented with a clear shooting opportunity in the area after being set up by Sterling following the visitors’ latest counter-attack.

But City’s third did arrive in the 63rd minute when Grealish burst forward, he found Foden who in turn passed to Walker, he gave the ball to Silva on the right side of the box and the Potugese coolly stepped inside Rose before curling his second of the evening past the helpless Bachmann and into the far corner.

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Three almost became four three minutes later when Grealish’s latest effort deflected off Cathcart and up onto the top of the bar, that being the City midfielder’s last involvement in the match as he and Gundogan made way for Kevin De Bruyne and Mahrez.

Bachmann again did well to thwart Laporte before Rose’s bad evening was ended in the 71st minute when he made way for Jeremy Ngakia.

Kucka warmed Ederson’s gloves with a 25-yard effort before the Watford fans were given something to smile about with 15 minutes remaining.

Hernandez managed to get in behind the right side of the City defence to latch onto a neat pass from Femenia, he hit a cross shot which beat Ederson and rebounded back out off the far post, but the Colombian reacted sharply and did well to squeeze in the rebound at the near post to make it 3-1.

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Jesus had been getting ready to come on and he replaced Foden before play restarted, but soon after the Hornets weren’t far away from a second when Hernandez crossed low from the right and King connected well enough on the run, but put his attempted finish narrowly wide of the far post.

Cathcart was booked for tripping Jesus from behind with five minutes of normal time remaining before De Bruyne fired narrowly over from the edge of the area with Bachmann left rooted to his spot.

Watford finished positively though, winning a couple of injury-time corners and Sissoko flashing a shot wide, as the Hornets can now set about preparing for two big away games at Brentford and Burnley.

Watford: Bachmann; Femenia, Troost-Ekong, Cathcart, Rose (Ngakia 71); Louza (Hernandez 46); Dennis, Cleverley (Kucka 46), Sissoko, Pedro; King. Subs not used: Elliot, Gosling, Fletcher, Tufan, Kabasele, Morris.

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; Rodri; Sterling, Silva, Grealish (Mahrez 67), Gundogan (De Bruyne 67), Foden (Jesus 75). Subs not used: Steffen, Carson, Stones, Ake, Zinchenko, Fernandinho.

Bookings: Rose for a foul on Grealish (31); Cathcart for a foul on Jesus (85).

Attendance: 20,673.

Referee: Simon Hooper.