Watford could count themselves unlucky not to take something from Manchester City in front of the Sky Sports cameras this evening as two moments of sloppy defending saw the Hornets beaten 2-1.

Here we run the rule over the Golden Boys against Manuel Pellegrini's expensively-assembled City side.

Heurelho Gomes – 6: After one early handling error the Brazilian wasn’t called into any kind of serious action until a second-half shot from City’s record signing Kevin De Bruyne, which needed his fingertips to see it around the post.

However, there was absolutely nothing he could do stop Yaya Toure’s rocket of an equaliser with eight minutes remaining or Sergio Aguero’s headed winner a couple minutes later.

Allan Nyom – 7: The rampaging full-back showed his hand early by barging Raheem Sterling to the floor and never looked back from that early victory.

The pair were involved in an enthralling game of cat and mouse from there on but the Cameroonian had the better of the fleet-footed wideman and the £49 million attacker was eventually withdrawn to a chorus of boos from home supporters who felt he had been too quick to go to ground.

Craig Cathcart – 7: It’s easy to forget the Northern Irishman was playing at the wrong end of the Championship in 2014, so comfortable he looks against the elite of the Premier League.

The former Manchester United man had kept Aguero in his pocket until the Argentine escaped to nod in the winner with five minutes remaining.

Miguel Britos – 6.5: The powerful centre-back had little to do with City’s 4-2-3-1 system allowing for just one striker in Aguero; marked out the game by Cathcart.

Whilst the Ulsterman attacked the ball and dealt with Aguero, the Uruguayan mopped up.

The introduction of Wilfried Bony changed that dynamic but still the former Napoli man was in control of proceedings. His distribution was questionable on a couple of occasions though.

Jose Holebas – 6.5: The former Roma man’s reintegration into the side continued with another solid display.

One piece of poor play in the first half which enabled David Silva to get in behind was forgotten during an otherwise switched-on showing in which the Greek coped defensively and got forward to support Jose Manuel Jurado down the left-hand flank.

He even went close with a powerful shot in the second half which had Joe Hart scrambling to see the ball wide.

Ben Watson – 7.5: It’s worth asking whether another English holding midfielder has caught the eye such as Watson this season.

The midfielder created what looked for so long to be the Hornets’ winner with another clever corner into the near post which Aleksandar Kolarov diverted beyond Joe Hart.

There was more than that to his game though, and the former Wigan Athletic man worked tirelessly to screen the Hornets’ back four, yet again.

Etienne Capoue – 6.5: Not the Frenchman’s best game for the Hornets with his distribution sloppy on more than one occasion.

However, the former Tottenham Hotspur enforcer was still at the centre of much of the Golden Boys’ good play with the ball and could well have doubled the hosts’ lead when he somehow shimmied away from the attention of City’s centre-halves and into a shooting position late in the second half.

Had that chance gone under Joe Hart’s crossbar rather than over, who knows what might have happened?

Almen Abdi – 7: Everything good the Hornets did in the first half had something to do with the Swiss maestro who, once more, stuck to his defensive duties whilst offering an option down the right-hand side.

It wasn’t the dogged defensive display of the win over Liverpool but Abdi was still on-hand to assist Nyom in the silencing of Sterling.

Troy Deeney – 6.5: One of the skipper’s quieter games of the season but simply because he was forced to drop deeper than normal to help out the midfield.

As ever though, Deeney worked tirelessly for the cause and, when afforded the opportunity, linked up well with his strike partner and the midfield to create problems for the visitors.

Jose Manuel Jurado – 8: One of – if not the – Spaniard’s best games in a Watford shirt.

The diminutive playmaker is growing in influence with every week and rewarding Quique Sanchez Flores’ faith in him.

On numerous occasions he wriggled into space when he had no right to and always kept the ball moving for the Hornets whilst being one step ahead of the City players.

Odion Ighalo – 7: The striker was a menace throughout and on another day would surely have scored with an early first-half chance.

Ighalo battled against the strapping Eliaquim Mangala and Nicolas Otamendi and had plenty of change from a centre-back partnership which cost the thick end of £70 million.

Mangala was eventually replaced and whilst it allowed City to introduce another centre-forward, the Frenchman would have been glad of a few minutes’ peace after a torrid afternoon.

Substitutes

Adlene Guedioura (for Jose Manuel Jurado 80) – N/A: Didn’t have time to make an impact but his very presence lifted Vicarage Road before Toure lashed home the equaliser at the near post.