Promotion-chasing Watford went into their Boxing Day Championship clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers looking for three points to move into fourth position in the league standings.
Vicarage Road played host to a lacklustre first half from Slavisa Jokanovic's side, with Wolves spurning a number of chances to take the lead in a dominant opening period.
The Hornets failed to get going after the interval and they soon found themselves behind when Nouha Dicko broke free to turn home Rajiv van La Parra's cross to make it 1-0 in favour of Wolves.
The goal seemed to spur the hosts forward and they were denied by a standout stop from Carl Ikeme, who turned substitute Odion Ighalo's shot onto the crossbar.
The woodwork proved too much for the Watford man again in the final few minutes of the game, as Kenny Jackett's men closed out a 1-0 victory to move into ninth position in the table.
Find out how all of the action developed by reading our minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening everyone and welcome to our live Boxing Day coverage as Watford welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Vicarage Road in the Championship. Today's hosts are starting to put together a serious run of results after enduring a four-game losing streak. Visiting Wolves are looking to improve on a run of results that has left them with just one win in eight.
December has been a great month for hosts Watford, with Slavisa Jokanovic's charges winning three straight games to move a point clear of seventh-placed Norwich City with a game in hand. Watford will also be spurred on by Brentford's 4-2 loss to Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough's draw against Nottingham Forest earlier on today, meaning a win would move the Hornets into fourth place in the table.
Wolves have moved a few places down in the Championship standings, but a win tonight could propel them into ninth position. However, the visitors have lost three of their last four away games.
Watford are going to be sweating on the fitness of leading scorer Troy Deeney, who is struggling with a dead leg and will need a fitness test before kickoff tonight.
Some team news for you now, actually...
WATFORD STARTING XI: Gomes; Doyley, Cathcart, Bassong; Paredes, Munari, Tozser, Abdi, Anya; Deeney, Vydra
WATFORD SUBSTITUTES: Bond, Hoban, Pudil, Guedioura, Dyer, Forestieri, Ighalo
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS STARTING XI: Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth, Stearman, Hause; McDonald, Price, van La Parra, Edwards, Sako; Dicko
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS SUBSTITUTES: Henry, Clarke, Graham, Evans, Rowe, Ebanks-Landell
Deeney makes Watford's starting XI then, but the home side have made three changes this evening. Lloyd Doyley, Juan Paredes and Gianni Munari come in for Gabriele Angella, Daniel Pudil and Adlene Guedioura.
Kenny Jackett's Wolves side are to operate with a 4-5-1 formation, which sees Nouha Dicko remain as a lone striker as he continues to make good progress from a long-term hamstring injury.
The last time these two sides met was at Molineux in the Championship in March 2013 – a game that saw the sides draw 1-1.
Despite a lack of wins in recent months, Wolves may be boosted by the fact that Watford have won only one of the last four meetings between the two clubs. The Hornets' last win over Wanderers came in a 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road in November 2012.
Jokanovic's side have had to turn around a poor spell of home form recently. Watford's 2-1 win against Wigan Athletic on December 13 was the club's first win in three at Vicarage Road.
Watford will also be aware that Wolves aren't the most accomplished travellers in the Championship this season. Jackett's side have lost three of their last four away games, though they did win their most recent one against Sheffield Wednesday.
The players are now coming out of the tunnel at a loud and welcoming Vicarage Road. Watford dressed in yellow and black, while Wolves feature in an all-white strip.
I think Watford will win this one. They've got a great incentive too, given that three points would send them into fourth spot in the table. I'm saying 3-1 to the home side.
KICKOFF! Watford get us underway here, kicking from left to right. It's a long ball sent in towards the box, leaving Stearman to clear with ease.
Watford move the ball down the left channel as they search out the guile of Abdi, however Iorfa nips in to steal the ball and the play breaks down.
Nice work from the home side as Paredes collects the ball on the right flank before jinking into the centre of the pitch. He pings a ball across the park into the path of Abdi, but Wolves get across to clear their lines.
Weak work from Wolves this time as McDonald surrenders possession on the edge of his box, leaving Abdi to pick up the loose ball and take it forwards. He slips in Vydra who can only fire a hopeful attempt straight at Stearman, who makes a timely block.
Dicko gets his first chance to set his sights on goal. The forward shows some good skill to bring the ball out of the air, though his volley from considerable distance flies harmlessly over the bar.
Van La Parra shows his worth on the right now for Wolves as he looks to take on Bassong, who eventually covers well and sends the winger's cross out for a corner kick.
CLOSE! Wolves should really be in front. Some great strength from Sako sees him wrestle possession on the edge of the box before squarring to an unmarked Van La Parra in the centre, who sends his shot just wide of the Watford post.
CLOSE! And again... Watford are looking shaky. Iorfa is the culprit this time as the youngster receives a slipped-in through ball from the right flank. However, the pass is a little behind the full-back and he can only awkwardly chip over the bar.
SAVE! Fantastic stop from Gomes to keep Watford level. Van La Parra shows smart feet on the right to send in a cross towards the front post. Edwards gambles to get across his man and get a foot to the delivery, however the keeper moves quickly to tip the shot away from his near post.
Deeney is cutting an isolated figure so far up top for Watford. Wolves have grown into this strongly and are the more dominant side. They should really be ahead, though...
That's more like it! Abdi moves the ball forward from the Watford half, where he finds Deeney with a straight pass. The striker is able to hold up possession before laying it back to his teammate, who picks out Paredes on the overlap. Thankfully for Wolves, Hause comes across to deal with the danger.
SAVE! How about that? Hause sends a wonder-strike towards the top corner, which Gomes deals with. From the resulting corner, the ball drops to van La Parra at the back post, leaving the keeper to pull off another standout stop as he scrambles down low to keep out the winger's curled effort.
Watford are looking most dangerous from corners and this time Tozser sends in a peach towards Doyley, but he can't make the required contact and Batth clears
The hosts are trying to get their passing game going at Vicarage Road, but Wolves are pressing with real intent in this first half and it's starting to cause some problems. Tozser finally gets some space though after some good passing and he lets fly with a dangerous shot from distance, leaving Batth to get the block in before it reaches Ikeme.
The pressure is showing every few minutes with Wolves continuing to press hard. Cathcart almost gifts Dicko with something, but the striker can't quite gather the loose ball after the defender's poor pass and Watford clear things away.
Deeney is providing the class when he does finally get a touch on the ball. This time the striker takes charge to hold things up before feeding Abdi, who then plays in Paredes down the right flank. He advances towards the box and unleashes an effort that flies wide of Ikeme's right post without causing too many problems for the keeper.
The home side have began to get their collective foot on the ball a little more in these past few moments. Wolves have responded well though by holding their line despite the hosts' possession. Sako shows great spirit to get back and shut out Paredes at the vital moment down in the right corner, preventing the full-back from crossing for Deeney.
Iorfa provides some good defensive work to get back and shut out Anya, who looks to make use of Deeney's through-ball down the left channel.
MISS! Dicko should've buried that! Sako does his usual as a creative playmaker and puts in a fantastic through-ball to cut the Watford defence in half. Dicko is left with just the keeper to beat, but can only tuck wide of the right post. Will Wolves come to rue this?
Conditions aren't they best at Vicarage Road and Doyley almost shows himself up under pressure from Edwards. Thankfully for the defender, he's able to clear into touch despite losing his feet in the middle of his own box.
Iorfa looks to bring Wolves forward as he collects the ball on the right flank. The full-back moves down the wing before feeding van La Parra, whose cross is turned away for a corner.
Despite their quietness in this first period, Watford still have the quality to turn this game on its head. Deeney shows important strength again to win a high ball, but Iorfa gets back to stop Anya from taking the knock-down any further.
YELLOW CARD! Hmm... a touch dangerous from Deeney as he flies through and catches Hause. Perhaps he's showing a bit of frustration at the lack of support he's being given up top.
Van La Parra has looked dangerous when he's got space. This time the winger throws a few step-overs before crossing to win a corner. The resulting kick comes to nothing as Gomes shows good command of his box to punch away.
HALF TIME: WATFORD 0-0 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Wolves were clearly the better side in that half and they should really be at least one goal to the good. Dicko has been lively, however he'll be gutted at missing a glorious chance midway through the first 45 minutes. Watford have barely moved past second gear. They don't really look like the home side in this fixture and Jokanovic will surely have some strong words to say during the interval.
Jackett will be delighted by his side's performance. Wolves have pressed with fantastic intent and it's prevented Watford from playing their usually dominant passing game. High pressure on the ball has also meant that Deeney has been devoid of support in attack. It's still 0-0, though, and the visitors will be rueing a number of missed opportunities.
Wolves have so far had 10 shots in the game, four of which have been on-target. Watford have mustered just four efforts, none of which have required Ikeme to protect his goal.
Sako has been particularly impressive for Wanderers. His vision almost saw the away side take the lead, but for Dicko's inaccuracy, while he's also harassed and harangued the Watford midfield into giving up the ball on far too many occasions.
For a 24-year-old, Wolves defender Batth has been outstanding too. He made that crucial foul to deny Vydra from getting in behind the defence and it was a challenge many other youngsters may have pulled out of in fear of a red card. Without that stoppage Watford may indeed have the lead.
Jokanovic will be concerned at the lack of support being afforded to Deeney this evening. The striker has been left alone with not much to feed off. He'll want Anya and Abdi to do a little more in the way of getting forward in the second half if Watford want to stand any chance of getting a win.
Lloyd Dyer and Fernando Forestieri could become important players in the final 45 should Jokanovic decide to introduce them. Watford need to wrestle back some of the possession, with Wolves holding 55% of the ball in the first half.
KICKOFF! Wolves get us back underway at Vicarage Road, can they turn possession into three points?
Not the best of starts as Tozser almost gives up the ball on the edge of his own box, however he's able to clear and Watford push up. They'll want to move the ball a little quicker in this second period too.
Fantastic advantage played by the ref to allow van La Parra to move down the right. Dicko pulls across the box and into space, but the winger doesn't have enough quality to pick out the cross in order to find the frontman.
Vydra finally comes into the frame and he almost picks out Deeney with a telling through-ball, but Iorfa gets in to cut out the pass. After a further scramble, the striker is afforded room to shoot on the volley from the edge of the box, drawing Ikeme into his first save of the game.
More possessional play from Wolves at the start of the second half. The ball is sprayed across the centre of the pitch, leaving Sako to try a sharp pass at pace into the path of Dicko, but it's got far too much on it and Gomes comes out to gather.
Rain is teaming down in Watford with neither side showing much quality in this second period. The hosts have perhaps shown a little more support for Deeney, especially in the form of Vydra, though things are still level.
GOAL! WATFORD 0-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (NOUHA DICKO)
Wolves find the lead! Van La Parra provides some meaningful intent down the left flank having been helped out by some rather poor defending from Abdi. The winger gets past his marker with far too much ease, leaving Dicko to make a late run into the box to meet the cross and finish into the roof of the net.
Can Watford come back from this? Not with the way they're playing at the moment. Jokanovic should probably make a change here, this game is passing the hosts by.
Outrageous cross from Sako on the right flank. It's made possible after some strong work from Dicko who wins the ball back from Bassong. The flicked cross comes into the path of Edwards, whose acrobatics aren't anywhere near to troubling Gomes.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Watford make a double sub to try and change the complexion of the encounter. Odion Ighalo comes on to replace Vydra, while Fernando Forestieri is on in place of Munari.
Ighalo tries to injet some pace into proceedings dow the left, but he's marshalled out of play by Iorfa who has been fantastic all evening.
CLOSE! The hosts almost come close to carving something out of nothing following a corner. The ball drops to defender Bassong who turns and scuffs a shot towards goal from a matter of yards. Somehow Ikeme is in the right place at the right time to make the point-blank save, before seeing a defender lash away the danger with a swift boot. Wolves got a little lucky there!
YELLOW CARD! Tozser is given a booking for a needless foul, before he is substituted in place of Crystal Palace loanee Adlene Guedioura.
CLOSE! Wolves have started to sit back a little deeper and that could become more problematic in the final 20 minutes. Deeney is afforded a little too much space and he bends an effort towards the back post, leaving Ikeme scrambling as it moves wide of the woodwork.
CROSSBAR! So close! Ighalo cuts into the box from the right flank and throws a dummy to shake his defender. He's not kidding with the second attempt, though, as he rifles the ball towards the top corner. It looks like Ikeme may get a hand to it as the ball is turned onto the bar and away from any immediate danger.
Van La Parra seeks to give his side some respite after a heavy period of Watford possession. The winger breaks down the right flank and wins a corner off the on-rushing Doyley.
Just under 10 minutes to play at Vicarage Road as Wolves try to see out three crucial away points. Watford have started to apply an increasing amount of pressure, but the visitors have held firm thus far.
The visitors have every right to feel aggrieved as Paredes comes straight through the back of van La Parra, without anything being given. The winger then returns to the canvas having clashed heads with Cathcart.
Watford have looked rather poor going forward. The hosts have yet to put together anything of importance in the final third of the pitch and the only route back into the game seems to be through a set-piece. The Hornets are having lots of possession, but the Wolves line still stands unbroken.
SUBSTITUTION: Dicko is replaced by Tommy Rowe as the visitors look to see out the victory.
Watford have resorted to long balls into the box in this final period. This time Stearman comes from the back to hoof away, before Batth makes a crucial interception to keep out Anya who is played in delicately by Deeney's short pass around the corner.
Amazing scramble inside the box sees no less than three Watford players have a swing for the ball. The final attempt sees Cathcart scythed to the floor by McDonald inside the box, but the referee deems that he's won the ball!
CROSSBAR! Wow. Watford denied in the final moments of the game. Somehow the ball breaks to an unmarked Ighalo just behind the Wolves back-line. The striker shoots first time with his curling effort looking headed for the back of the net. However, it rises during its final moments and crashes into the bar, before flying away to safety.
Two minutes of additional time to go now...
FULL TIME: WATFORD 0-1 WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Wolves take all three points to end Watford's winning run! On balance the visitors deserved to win, but things could've been a lot different had it not been for the crossbar on two occasions in the latter stages of proceedings.
Written by
Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
