Hull City had two big issues on show v Watford - Ruben Selles needs a solution before Cardiff or Luton smell blood | OneFootball

The Tigers put in an underwhelming performance at Vicarage Road

Not for the first time this season, Hull City failed to back up the euphoria of Charlie Hughes' last-gasp header at Sheffield Wednesday, as the Tigers produced a lacklustre display against Watford at Vicarage Road.

Whilst overall final-third quality was at a premium for both sides, the play-off-chasing Hornets took advantage of City's defensive shortcomings, which have been evident for large periods of the season, as they collected the three points courtesy of Moussa Sissoko's neat flick after 55 minutes.

Meanwhile, after a strong run of just one defeat in seven and possessing the seventh-best record in the division on their travels prior to the midweek clash in Hertfordshire, Ruben Selles' men were unable to cause Egil Selvik in the Watford net any major issues, with a lack of ruthlessness and poor decision-making in final-third areas proving costly once more.

These are two areas which the Spaniard must make big decisions on heading into next Monday's clash with Coventry City at the MKM Stadium, and there is a chance Hull could be plunged into the relegation zone by the time they kick off against Frank Lampard's side if their fellow strugglers continue to pick up results.

There was a feeling that it would be a very long night for Ivor Pandur between the sticks when Edo Kayembe sent a thunderbolt cannoning off the Croatian's crossbar after 30 seconds, as City played themselves into trouble for the first, and definitely not the last time in the game.

A dynamic midfield and wide selection from the Hornets caused Selles' rearguard plenty of issues, with Rocco Vata and Sissoko finding plenty of joy against Lewie Coyle and Sean McLoughlin in both halves.

Coyle has become a divisive figure among City supporters this term, and such a trend continued as Vata was able to pick out the overlapping Caleb Wiley, who sent a sublime ball across the box into an unmarked Sissoko, which summed up a lack of defensive structure which had nearly been taken advantage of by Jeremy Ngakia at the very beginning of the second period.

Cody Drameh recently returned from injury and came on as a late substitute against Luton Town, before not being named on the bench for the trip to Hillsborough and again on Tuesday night.

With it being a fairly even split when it comes to average metrics that either Drameh or his fellow right-back come out on top in on a head-to-head, there will be plenty of clamour for the 23-year-old to make a return against the Sky Blues, which could logically prove the right choice due to the pace on Coventry's left flank in the form of Jay Dasilva and Ephron Mason-Clark.

Meanwhile, McLoughlin has also endured a mixed bag of performances, but in games which followed a pattern such as Tuesday night, it begs the question as to whether Selles regrets not pushing harder for a natural left-back in the dying embers of the transfer window.

Hull City's creative issues laid bare at Vicarage Road

City's lack of goals is no secret at this point, with a record of 40 from 41 games still the second-lowest return in the division ahead of Plymouth Argyle.

However, 24 of those goals had come on the road, which was a strong omen heading into the midweek clash, having also lost just one of the previous five games away from the MKM Stadium.

The signs were there from the beginning that the decision to play Joe Gelhardt on the right wing wasn't going according to plan, whilst Fenerbahçe loanee Lincoln and Joao Pedro failed to get themselves involved with play as much as was required.

Ultimately, Selles' decision to replace Gelhardt and Pedro with Abu Kamara and Kyle Joseph raised plenty of eyebrows, and made next-to-no difference.

Regardless of having more shots and efforts on target than the hosts, Hull never had Watford's keeper worried, with the most troubled Selvik looked all night being a Matt Crooks effort in the first half which drifted high and wide.

"That's why (we're) in the situations that we are in, that was the situation when we came in and we were rock bottom. We need to fight for everything and we are still in the fight," Selles said post-match.

The reality is, whilst their heads are precariously above water at the moment, City are lacking what all of Derby County, Cardiff City and Luton have showcased since the return of action after the international break, which is the ability to dig themselves out of a hole as the Bluebirds and the Hatters levelled late into the evening against Preston North End and Stoke City respectively

Selles' side have proven more-than a match for some of the division's front-runners and proved the character that can be displayed to earn a four-point haul against Oxford United and West Brom before the two-week gap in March. But with time and games running out, it begs the question as to whether it will occur once more, and it will need to if the Tigers find themselves behind against the Rams and Portsmouth in particular, as a pressure-cooker final two games edges nearer.