Report: Hull City 1-1 Watford

• Cagey first-half ends goalless
• Bedia opens scoring for Hull with late strike
• Vata equalises on 87 minutes with first Hornets goal
• One defeat in eight games for Watford

Rocco Vata scored his first Watford goal with a late equaliser to salvage a point from Hull City.

A fortuitous Chris Bedia opener looked set to hand victory to the hosts with seven minutes remaining of their first game under new Head Coach Ruben Selles, but the Hornets promptly fought back.

Kwadwo Baah burst down the flank and teed up fellow substitute Vata, who swept in emphatically to level the scores late on.

With Saturday’s trip to Cardiff City postponed due to Storm Darragh, Tom Cleverley named two changes from the goalless draw with QPR last time out. Jeremy Ngakia came in for his first start since August, replacing Ryan Andrews, while Tom Ince was preferred to Moussa Sissoko.

There was an early scare for the Hornets as Ryan Longman scuffed a second-minute Abu Kamara cross wide from close range when he should have at least troubled goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.

Watford had a chance of their own through the unlikely source of Ngakia, who controlled and saw a shot deflected wide after Yasser Larouci’s cross.

Giorgi Chakvetadze attempted an ambitious curling effort from outside the area - think Almen Abdi’s wonder-strike at Fulham almost 10 years ago to the day - however on this occasion the shot flew the wrong side of the bar.

For all of Watford’s possession, it was Hull who once again went closest to scoring when Regan Slater flicked on Kamara’s cross and the on-rushing Longman was just an inch from connecting at the back post.

With five minutes of the half remaining, Ryan Porteous made a crucial intervention to block Joao Pedro’s shot from a dangerous position in the box following a Slater cutback.

Then in stoppage time, Chakvetadze embarked on a trademark run down the left-hand side, beating his man and picking out Bayo, who diverted wide with a first-time shot.

Chakvetadze had been Watford’s most likely threat during the opening period and he came close to opening the scoring soon after the break. The Georgian’s sweet 25-yarder left goalkeeper Ivor Pandur stranded but was an inch too high and brushed the roof of the net.

Kasey Palmer then sent Joao Pedro racing clear of the Hornets’ backline and the former Cagliari forward’s low shot was tipped wide by Bachmann - much to the locals’ frustration as a goal-kick was given.

The hosts were starting to control the game and found themselves denied by a vital save from Bachmann, who rushed off his line to instinctively keep out Mason Burstow after a neat exchange of passes with Palmer.

Buoyed by a couple of near misses, Hull continued to push for an opener and saw Kamara’s shot from the edge of the area turned behind for a corner by Mattie Pollock.

Their goal came with nine minutes left on the clock, though there was an element of luck involved. Kamara’s cross from the right-hand side took a deflection on its way into the box, then Marvin Mehlem’s shot from six yards flicked fortuitously off substitute Bedia’s hand and past the wrong-footed Bachmann.

Watford would need a show of character to find a way back into the game, and they did just that thanks to two combining substitutes with three minutes to go. Baah accelerated forward with a stunning drive down the right before playing across goal for Vata, who scored from close-range with a well-taken first-time effort.

The Hornets saw out the closing stages to earn a point from Humberside and will take a run of one defeat from eight games into Sunday’s home match against West Brom.

A point was not enough to lift the Tigers from the bottom of the table, though they will take heart from their first outing under new management.

Watford: Bachmann (GK) (C); Porteous, Sierralta, Pollock; Ngakia (Andrews 61), Kayembe (Sissoko 77), Louza, Larouci (Ebosele 71); Ince (Baah 61), Chakvetadze (Vata 71); Bayo.

Unused subs: Bond (GK), Morris, Dwomoh, Doumbia.