Very little went in Watford’s favour in the first half, and there were few, if any, signs that improvement would follow after halftime.

For the handful of chances that the Hornets had in the first half, at least one of which they should have scored, like Myron Boadu’s early one-on-one chance, there were plenty that they were fortunate not to concede.

On another day, Watford would have trailed by six at halftime.

Given the dismal first half, many were left bemused by Dionisi’s decision not to make any halftime substitutions, especially in light of his first-half change against Burnley, followed by two more at the break.

Speaking after the match, Dionisi explained the decision to stick with the same line-up for the start of the second half, and revealed that, in an ideal world, he would have changed every player.

“I spoke with my players at the end of the first half, and I asked them for a reaction,” he said. “I wanted to change everyone, but it’s impossible.

“Then, for 10 minutes, I wanted to see the reaction, but I didn’t see it, and after 10 minutes, I made changes."

After making changes, five by the end of the game, there was still little sign of improvement, despite Watford officially drawing the second half.

“I changed the maximum of five players [in the game], but the problem is not one player," he revealed, "Because, since the last match, today there were six different players on the pitch.

“Now is the time to stay silent.”