A calamitous first half capitulation resulted in Watford taking a 4-0 battering at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday night, as their inconsistency continues to push them closer and closer to relegation.

The damage was well and truly done by the 21st minute, with Raul Jimenez and Daniel Podence making the most of some shambolic defending either side of a Cucho Hernandez own goal, before Ruben Neves put a cherry on the miserable cake with five minutes remaining to end a run of defeats stretching back three matches.

Wolves were more or less in cruise control from midway inside the first half, as their bumbling opponents struggled to put goalkeeper Jose Sa under any real pressure, and finished the game at a leisurely pace.

The defeat looks even worse for the Hornets after an encouraging home performance against Arsenal at the weekend, leaving Roy Hodgson and the travelling fans bewildered by their side’s inability to string two good performances together, with them forgetting how to defend for most of the opening 45.

Kiko Femenia and Samir were accommodating for the first goal, Hassane Kamara similarly guilty for the second, while Ben Foster more or less handed the hosts their third on a plate with a thoughtless pass out from the back under pressure.

While the visitors were able to maintain a more even balance to the remainder of the match, it was already far too little and far too late, as they missed out on another chance to draw level on points with 17th place Everton, with games, and in turn chances to pull away from the mire, slowly running out.

With Ismaila Sarr still missing with a hamstring injury, Hernandez was once again called upon, while Joshua King was restored to replace Joao Pedro, who missed the game due to covid-19 protocol.

Things started dreadfully when Jimenez was given all the time he needed to control a pass from strike partner Hwang Hee-chan and convert from just six yards out to open the scoring with 13 minutes on the clock.

Eight minutes later and the game was well beyond Watford, Hernandez tamely diverting a Rayan Ait-Nouri cross into his own goal before goalkeeper Foster fluffed his lines from a clearance and presented the ball to Podence, who made no mistake from 25 yards.

Hodgson reacted by replacing Femenia with Christian Kabasele and it stemmed the tide from the hosts as King passed up a decent opportunity to give Watford a glimmer of hope.

Foster, with the full force of the Wolves fans in the South Bank now on his back, once again found Podence with an errant clearance but this time the forward could not lift a shot back over the goalkeeper from 40 yards out.

Almost all of the chances were coming the way of the home side as substitutes Pedro Neto and Fabio Silva came close to extending the lead.

Wolves would strike again in the closing stages, Neves deftly controlling the ball on the edge of the box before lofting an inch-perfect finish over Foster.