Watford stretched their unbeaten run to three games after an entertaining Sky Bet Championship contest with West Bromwich Albion under the lights finished 2-2 at a sodden Vicarage Road.

Forward Tom Ince slotted in his first goal in yellow and black early on to put the hosts in the driving seat, but a quick-fire double for the visitors - courtesy of John Swift and Jed Wallace - turned the tide by the end of the 17th minute.

Matheus Martins got the Golden Boys back on level terms by the midway point of the first half, and though there were several chances for both sides in the second 45, neither was ultimately able to snatch a winner.

A fifth point from nine leaves Valérien Ismaël’s charges 14th in the second-tier standings after the midweek round of matches, ahead of a mouth-watering trip to Leeds United next on Saturday afternoon (September 23, 3pm KO).

Head Coach Ismaël made one change to the XI that started the dramatic win over Birmingham City last time out, with Ismaël Koné replacing Tom Dele-Bashiru in central midfield, while forward Vakoun Bayo returned to the matchday squad following a minor injury.

The Hornets picked up where they left off following Saturday’s late show, Ince converting the first meaningful chance of the evening with a silky first-time finish after a clever, quick passing move across the box from Martins, Koné and Imrân Louza.

After soaking up pressure for the majority of the opening 13 minutes West Brom showcased their threat when Brandon Thomas-Asante forced Daniel Bachmann into a strong stop from a tight angle, but the Austrian stopper was wrongfooted by Swift’s 20-yard free-kick moments later which brought the scores back level.

And it didn’t take the visitors long to take the lead for the first time when Thomas-Asante and Darnell Furlong combined well on the right, the latter swinging in a low cross that found on-rushing skipper Wallace whose shot skidded across goal and into the bottom corner for 2-1.

The topsy-turvy nature of the contest continued in earnest and Martins duly produced the latest equaliser in the 23rd minute, the Brazilian youngster beating Wallace and unleashing a trademark, curled shot that flashed past Alex Palmer in the net - his third goal of the season.

In-form forward Mileta Rajović was gradually growing into the game with the momentum now in Watford’s favour - the Dane just unable to properly connect with a handful of dangerous crosses - and Martins went close to notching again shortly after the half-hour with an attempt that fizzed narrowly over the bar.

Koné perhaps should have claimed his first goal for the Golden Boys when he blazed an effort off target after being put through one-on-one by Martins, before Swift’s hopes of a second at the other end were dashed by a similarly wild shot that Bachmann comfortably watched on.

Ince had a good opportunity to double his tally from the edge of the box in the 42nd minute, but followed the trend of getting under the ball too much, and after three minutes of added time referee Leigh Doughty’s whistle signalled the end of an action-packed first half.

The Hornets survived a melee in their own penalty area following a Ryan Porteous booking soon after the restart, and the Baggies’ good play continued as Bachmann did well to tip over a Thomas-Asante strike from 18 yards.

A triple change saw Ryan Andrews, Jamal Lewis and Yáser Asprilla enter the field of play in place of Jeremy Ngakia, James Morris and Ince respectively, and it wasn’t long before Andrews was at the receiving end of a strong Cédric Kipré challenge that initiated a brief break in play.

Goalkeeper Palmer came to West Brom’s rescue when he tipped a goalbound Koné header onto the bar in the 63rd minute, after the Canadian midfielder met Asprilla’s left-footed cross sweetly on the penalty spot.

Mattie Pollock came on for his second appearance of 2023/24 with little over 20 minutes left, in place of Porteous who had been carrying a knock, and then Lewis was the latest to test Palmer with a low, angled drive.

Bachmann added to his streak of impressive saves when he denied Thomas-Asante in the 80th minute, though the former Salford striker should probably have done better, while in attack Watford substitute Bayo was stopped in his tracks by a vital, last-ditch Erik Pieters tackle.

Asprilla took matters into his own hands and stung a shot just over in the wake of a marauding run late on, and though the home side looked the more likely throughout six minutes of injury time, they were made to settle for a share of the spoils.