Middlesbrough were lucky to come away with a point and a clean sheet after Saturday's underwhelming display at Vicarage Road. Not one for the history books, it was a nervy affair; in the first half, neither team wanted to break rank and put themselves on the line in an attempt to win the game.
Watford came to the fore in a more watchable second period but the Teessiders counted their blessings as the Hornets were denied by the post and were unable to make their attacks count.
Positives
Both sets of fans paid their respects to the late Graham Taylor in a moving tribute, even if the action on the pitch was not as memorable. A clean sheet for birthday boy Victor Valdes is another big tick for a 'Boro side that have lately lost games by the odd goal and carelessly dropped points on the road.
Negatives
'Boro were fairly short of ideas again today despite a couple of incidents that suggested long balls up to Alvaro Negredo would have been their best bet for success. Labouring in midfield, the away side did little to trouble the Watford defence and an offside ball in the back of the net from Cristhian Stuani was as close as the Teessiders got to scoring.
Manager rating out of 10
7 -- Aitor Karanka set his side up for a real tussle today and he got it right in terms of formation and personnel. His carefulness and reliance on a packed defence probably helped rather than hindered 'Boro ,as they were gifted a point where most teams would have fallen to defeat. Star choice Gaston Ramirez didn't even make the bench today after speculation that he may be in for a move to Leicester.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Victor Valdes, 7 -- An almost faultless performance kept 'Boro in contention, particularly in the second half when Watford turned up the pressure.
DF George Friend, 7 -- Worked tirelessly to clear his lines and was 'Boro's best attacking outlet on the left.
DF Ben Gibson, 6 -- Composed and focused on an afternoon that had many distractions; Gibson held the fort well and has another clean sheet under his belt.
DF Calum Chambers, 6 -- Made some key last-gasp interventions as Watford upped their attacking tempo and sent plenty of long balls forward to big strikers Troy Deeney and Stefano Okaka.
DF Bernardo Espinosa, 6 -- Retains his status as a high-quality defender after massively impressing at Old Trafford last month. On Saturday, he handled the towering strength of the Watford strikers with aplomb.
DF Fabio, 5 -- The Brazilian quickly tired in the second half and his frustration showed with some silly challenges and poor decision-making.
MF Adam Forshaw, 7 -- An empirical showing from the predictably reliable Forshaw.
MF Marten de Roon, 6 -- Another solid performer who was active in the game and kept his focus well. Seemed to be missing his usual midfield partner in crime, Adam Clayton.
MF Grant Leadbitter, 6 -- One of the heroes of last season, Leadbitter has settled back into the side well upon his return from injury. Found himself getting into the box often in support of the two forwards.
FW Cristhian Stuani, 7 -- This was a much improved showing for the Uruguayan who looked more at home in an up-front position by Negredo's side. Found the back of the net in the first half with 'Boro's single shot on target, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
FW Alvaro Negredo, 6 -- Negredo worked hard and created the lion's share of 'Boro's chances in the form of knock-downs and flick-ons for Stuani.
Substitutes
FW Rudy Gestede, 6 -- As 'Boro spent the latter period of the game keeping out an increasingly confident Watford side, Gestede didn't have much chance to make an impact except a shot from distance that whizzed over the bar.