It’s now one win in seven Championship games for Watford after they were twice unable to hold onto a winning position as Sunderland secured a 2-2 draw at Vicarage Road.

Keinan Davis’ first goal for the Hornets and a Luke O’Nien own goal at the club where he started his career had the home side in the ascendency in each half, but Rob Edwards’ side again failed to convince and the visitors’ second equaliser did not come as a surprise when it arrived with four minutes of normal time remaining.

The opening half-an-hour saw Watford have most of the ball but chances had been in relatively short supply until a superb Yaser Asprilla pass put Hassane Kamara in behind the defence, goalkeeper Anthony Patterson was unable to deal with his low centre and Davis gratefully converted.

The Hornets looked set to take their lead into the break but they were to be pegged back just before the break when goalline technology deemed Aji Alese’s effort had crossed the line after it looked like Hamza Choudhury had successfully cleared.

O’Nien headed past his own keeper to put Watford back in front, but rather than go for the jugular and seek to kill off their opponents, it was the visitors who asked more of the attacking questions and they were rewarded when Jewison Bennette fired home in the latter stages.

The performance was better from the Hornets, they played with more intenstity and offered a threat more often going forward, but uncertainties again reared their head after substitutions were made - injuries again appearing to contribute heavily - and the Black Cats finished the stronger.

Edwards responded to the dreadful showing in the 2-0 defeat at Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night by making five changes, although two were enforced with Jeremy Ngakia and Ismaila Sarr ruled out through injury, while Christian Kabasele, Francisco Sierralta and Vakoun Bayo dropped to the bench.

Kortney Hause and Hassane Kamara returned after they had been sidelined for the trip to Ewood Park and they were joined in the starting XI by Asprilla, William Troost-Ekong for his first league start of the season and Davis, who made his full Hornets debut.

Sunderland came into the game off the back of a 3-0 win at Reading in midweek and boss Tony Mowbray made just the one enforced change, with Elliot Embleton replacing the injured Ellis Simms.

With Craig Cathcart playing at right-back, the Hornets started in a 4-2-3-1 formation as Asprilla pushed up almost alongside Davis when the home side were attacking.

Watford looked to start positively and almost made the breakthrough in the sixth minute when Choudhury clipped in a cross which Joao Pedro met powerfully but his effort hit Patterson, who knew nothing it. However, the flag was raised for offside.

Davis then showed his strength to get away from a defender when being pulled back before finding Pedro, who tried to release Asprilla in the area but Patterson was able to deal with the danger.

Troost-Ekong needed to be alert to prevent Alex Pritchard from getting a clean header on a cross from the right, but it was the hosts who continued to have the bulk of the play in the opening 20 minutes.

Efforts on goal had been few and far between for both sides though, but in the 22nd minute Lynden Gooch curled a shot wide of the far post after cutting into the area from the right, Choudhury far from impressing as he jumped before turning his back on his opponent.

The Hornets continued to dominate possession but too often Davis was the only option, with teammates not getting up and around him quickly enough to support. Pedro tried to join in when he could but was limited by playing on the right.

There was a few mumblings of frustration amongst the home faithful but that changed in the 34th minute when Watford took the lead.

Asprilla was the orchestrator with a superb angled pass which Kamara didn’t even have to break stride to latch onto behind the Black Cats defence, his low centre wasn’t the best but Patterson was unable to get a full glove on it and the grateful Davis was presented with a tap-in for his first Hornets goal.

Sunderland sought to respond, Jack Clarke threatening from the left flank on more than one occasion, before Pedro tracked back superbly to cut out a low centre from the right.

It looked the Hornets would take their lead into their break, but in the last minute of the half Cathcart and Daniel Bachmann failed to deal with a pass into the box and Alese managed to squeeze in a shot. It initially looked like Choudhury had cleared it off the line but referee Robert Madley was soon holding his wrist aloft, signalling goalline technology had shown the ball had crossed the line to make it 1-1.

The home side sought to get back on the front foot after the restart and were soon dominating possession and territory, creating a couple of situations that were a more accurate pass away from being really threatening.

Their first good opening of the second period came in the 54th minute when Edo Kayembe progressed the ball to Pedro centrally and he slipped in Asprilla on the right side of the area where the young Colombian tried to place his finish, but Patterson was not unduly troubled.

Next, a good pass down the inside right channel released Davis, who was able to get round the advancing Patterson but the striker’s touch took him wide and he had to settle for a corner.

Patrick Roberts and Corry Evans were both booked within three minutes of each other, both for fouls on Pedro, the second of which proved to be very costly for the visitors.

Pedro took the free-kick deep beyond the back post where Troost-Ekong had backed into the danger zone and former Hornets youngster Luke O’Nien rose highest to head past Patterson to put his former club 2-1 in front.

Mowbray responded by bringing on Amad Diallo for Embleton, the Black Cats thinking they had equalised when Clarke dispatched a cross from the right with a superb volley across and past Bachmann, only for their joy to be cut short by the offside flag.

The visitors then made a double change with Leon Dajaku and Bennette replacing Dan Neil and Clarke, while Bayo came on for Kamara, who was feeling the back of his leg as he came off.

Kayembe sent a blistering effort from 25 yards narrowly wide not long after before Mowbray made another double change with Jay Matete and Abdoullah Ba coming on for Evans and Pritchard.

The visitors were pressing though, with a couple of low deliveries into the box threatening, before Edwards opted to bring on Dan Gosling for Davis.

Watford did survive a let off with seven minutes remaining when Dajaku got goalside of the defence and broke into the area, hitting a left-footed shot across Bachmann but wide of the far post.

Kabasele then replaced Cathcart but the equaliser Sunderland had threatened arrived with four minutes of normal time remaining when Roberts was able to stand up a cross from the right side of the area, Kabasele was unable to make his attempted header and Bennette brought the ball down before firing past Bachmann to make it 2-2.

Neither side was able to create a meaningful opportunity during five minutes of injury time, with the final whistle greeted by some boos of frustration among the home faithful as fans and players alike were left with plenty to think about going into the international break.

Watford: Bachmann; Cathcart (Kabasele 83), Troost-Ekong, Hause; Kamara (Bayo 72), Kayembe, Choudhury, Pedro, Apsrilla, Sema; Davis (Gosling 81). Subs not used: Okoye, Kalu, Sierralta, Hungbo.

Sunderland: Patterson; O’Nien, Batth, Alese; Gooch, Neil (Dajaku 72), Evans (Matete 79), Clarke (Bennette 72); Roberts, Pritchard (Ba 79); Embleton (Diallo 63). Subs not used: Bass, Hume.

Bookings: Roberts for a foul on Pedro (59); Evans for a foul on Pedro (62); Bennette for taking shirt off (86); Matete for a foul on Bayo (90).

Attendance: 19,767.

Referee: Robert Madley.