Town missed out on a chance to return to the top of the Championship after a 0-0 stalemate at home to Watford, but they are back in second place.
The Blues came closest to scoring in the first half, with Nathan Broadhead hitting the post and Kieffer Moore seeing a header from virtually point blank range saved by Hornets goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann, but were less dominant after the interval.
Kieran McKenna made four changes from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Norwich, starting Harry Clarke at right-back, George Edmundson at right centre-half, Jack Taylor in the centre of midfield, and Kayden Jackson wide on the right in place of Axel Tuanzebe, Luke Woolfenden, Massimo Luongo, and Conor Chaplin, who were all dropped to the bench.
Watford made two changes from Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Preston, replacing Francisco Sierralta and Emmanuel Dennis with Mattie Pollock and Giorgi Chakvetadze, respectively.
Town had a chance inside 14 seconds of the start, with Jackson spotted well outside the area to the left and briefly in space, but his shot was blocked.
The opening period was closely contested, with Watford’s first attempt in the ninth minute, Yaser Asprilla trying to catch Vaclav Hladky off his line from just inside the Town half, but the Colombian international hoisted the ball over the crossbar.
Moore headed well over from a Leif Davis free-kick on the left on 10, and the Wales international will feel he might have done better.
Town proceeded to gain complete control, and in the 15th minute, Omari Hutchinson, playing in the central role behind Moore, was almost sent in on goal on the right side of the box after some quick passing by captain Sam Morsy, Clarke, and Moore.
Another well-worked move, this time by Clarke down the right, ended with Moore teeing up Broadhead just outside the box, but the Wales forward’s hard effort was too close to Hornets’ keeper Daniel Bachmann, who saved it.
On 21, Hutchinson was sent flying by Ryan Porteous’ off-the-ball bodycheck in the center circle as Moore sprinted to the area on the left before being dispossessed. Referee Sam Barrott halted play to allow the on-loan Chelsea player to receive treatment before speaking with Porteous without delivering a foul or a card. Hutchinson was okay to continue.
The incident looked to jolt the Jamaica international into action, and in the 25th minute, he skipped into the right side of the box, passing two players before his low cross was blocked.
In the 28th minute, Morsy sent Jackson away on the right behind Porteous, and the former Accrington man crossed low towards the near post, where Moore fired narrowly wide.
On the half-hour mark, the wideman was sent off again, but this time his cross was too long. Town was on top, but they had yet to create the opportunity to take the lead.
Three minutes later, Clarke received the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Chakvetadze just inside the Town half.
Edmundson blocked the free kick, but his throw to Morsy returned the ball to Watford not long beyond the area, where Jamal Lewis ultimately looped a cross into Hladky’s hands at the far post.
In the 36th minute, Broadhead turned his man and surged towards the area before firing a powerful drive straight at Bachmann.
The Wales international came considerably closer to breaking the deadlock two minutes later, when he pulled out a shot from the edge of the box that beat Bachmann low to the keeper’s left but hit the inside of the post. The ball bounced painfully across the face of goal before being cleared.
Town were now completely dominant, with the supporters sensing a goal could come at any moment.
On 38, the Blues threatened again, with a low Jackson cross from the right reaching Taylor on the outside of the box, but the former Peterborough midfielder’s effort touched Broadhead in front of him, causing the Welshman to scramble out of the way.
Three minutes later, Taylor delivered a free kick to Morsy 35 yards away, and the Egyptian international moved it forward before firing an effort that was too close to Bachmann, who saved.
On 43, the Austrian goalkeeper had to make a far better save, blocking a powerful point-blank Moore header and pushed it past the post after Clarke had set the ball up from the right.
That proved to be the best and final chance of a half in which the Blues should have gone ahead after being in command for the majority of the time and having a number of solid chances.
Broadhead will have been disappointed to have shot too close to the keeper on a couple of occasions before he hit the post, then Moore will wonder how Bachmann saved his header which looked a certain goal. At the other end, Watford had been unable to manage a shot on target.
Watford saw most of the ball in the early stages of the second half but without threatening and twice playing straight out of play. The throw-in resulting from the second wayward pass was taken quickly by Davis to Broadhead, who sent the left-back away down the flank but his cross was too close to Bachmann.
On 52, Town broke following a Hornets attack through Hutchinson but the youngster’s cross-field ball was too long. Davis retrieved it but his cross was again too close to Bachmann.
Within a minute, Broadhead sent over a cross-shot which Bachmann again claimed under his bar, the keeper stumbling a little as he did so, momentarily getting fans off their seats.
In the 55th minute Morsy scuffed wide from distance with Town starting to take control again and with the crowd upping the volume. Two minutes later, Moore was booked for a foul on Tom Dele-Bashiru on halfway.
Watford, however, continued to see more of the ball and on the hour, Asprilla struck their first shot on target from the edge of the box to the right which Hladky saved but didn’t hold, Edmundson clearing the loose ball.
On 63, following a Hornets corner, Lewis blazed deep into the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand. Town made their first three changes ahead of the goal-kick, Taylor, Jackson and Broadhead making way for Conor Chaplin, Massimo Luongo and Jeremy Sarmiento. Hutchinson moved to the right to allow Chaplin into the central role.
Following the substitutions, Watford continued to have most of the possession but without further threatening Hladky’s goal.
Porteous was shown the Hornets’ first yellow card of the evening in the 67th minute for crudely bringing down Hutchinson after the Chelsea loanee had turned away from him and was about to break away down the right.
Watford made their first change on 71, Ismael Kone coming on for Chakvetadze, before the Blues switched Moore for Ali Al-Hamadi.
The Hornets were still on top with Town unable to restore their first-half control, Kone seeing a shot blocked on the edge of the box.
On 79 the Blues were forced into another change when Edmundson went down a few minutes after first suffering a knock when fouled by Vakoun Bayo. Woolfenden took over at right centre-half.
In the 85th minute, a Morsy free-kick from the right was half-cleared to Luongo, whose volley was blocked and Sarmiento was prevented from getting in a subsequent effort before the visitors finally managed to clear.
A minute later, with the Town pressure and crowd noise increasing, Sarmiento played in Al-Hamadi on the right of the box and a Watford defender slid in to make an important block with the striker’s shot looking on target.
The fourth official’s board indicated four additional minutes with the Blues in the ascendency and looking to create the chance which would take them back to the top.
A minute into added-time, Luongo played a clever ball in for Chaplin, who left it for Morsy but the ball was just taken away from the skipper.
Watford almost won it in an extraordinary manner in the final seconds, Edo Kayembe spotting Hladky out of his goal after the Blues had lost possession and lashing a shot from halfway which the keeper did very well to get back to save and palm for a corner, which was the last action of the match.
A frustrating night for the Blues, who really should have had the game sewn up by half-time having had more than enough chances. Broadhead was unfortunate with his effort against the post, while Bachmann made a superb stop from Moore.
The Hornets were an improved outfit after the break and Town, drawing 0-0 for only the third time this season, struggled to create chances. The substitutions as always saw the Blues step things up but Watford remained resolute and there were few if any clear-cut opportunities.
But a point takes Town, who host Middlesbrough at Portman Road on Saturday, back into the top two ahead of Leeds by a point and behind Leicester on goal difference, although with the Foxes having a game in hand.
Town: Hladky, Clarke, Edmundson (Woolfenden 79), Burgess, Davis, Morsy (c), Taylor (Luongo 63), Jackson (Chaplin 63), Hutchinson, Broadhead (Sarmiento 63), Moore (Al-Hamadi 71). Unused: Walton, Woolfenden, Tuanzebe, Travis, Harness.
Watford: Bachmann, Hoedt (c), Porteous, Lewis, Pollock, Chakvetadze (Kone 71), Asprilla (Ince 93), Bayo (Dennis 86), Dele-Bashiru, Kayembe, Andrews. Unused: Hamer, Sierrata, Livermore, Rajovic, Kone, Martins, Morris. Referee: Sam Barrott (West Riding). Att 28,589.
