Watford 0 Tottenham Hotspur 0

Spirited Watford moved out of the relegation zone after holding near-neighbours Tottenham Hotspur to a 0-0 draw at Vicarage Road, but it was yet another case of what might have been for Aidy Boothroyd's battling team. 

It was difficult to fault the Hornets for their lung-busting effort and approach work, but it is the quality of the finishing that makes all the difference at this level and again they were found wanting. 

Seven days after striker Darius Henderson missed the game's best chance by blasting over a near open goal at Charlton, worse was to befall team-mate Tommy Smith to leave Spurs counting their blessings. 

It appeared the Watford right winger couldn't miss when Dan Shittu's cut-back fell ideally for him barely three yards out and with the target at his mercy, but the 26-year-old somehow contrived to put the opportunity over the top. 

That early gilt-edged opening aside, the chances were evenly shared over the 90 minutes, with most following to Aaron Lennon. 

The England winger had five on-target attempts but each time he was denied by international colleague Ben Foster, who took the opportunity to shine against Steve McClaren's current number one Paul Robinson. 

Watford set the tone for what was to come from the kick-off when, instead of pumping the ball into the opposition half, they immediately sought out Smith on the right flank and he went on a dazzling run before sending over a cross that was destined for the head of Henderson until it was brilliantly cut out by Michael Dawson. 

This led to a sequence of three corners for the home side which saw Jordan Stewart have a shot deflected behind and a Shittu header saved. 

But quite how Smith then failed to give the Hornets the lead only he will now, but having survived that major scare, Spurs, and in particular Lennon, came alive as an attacking force.

The winger forced Foster into two smart saves in almost as many minutes after he had comfortably got the better of Lloyd Doyley both times. 

Foster had the measure of a stinging Lennon drive later in the first half, but the closing minutes of the opening period belonged to the home side. First the lively Smith showed great perseverance to win a battle for possession with Benoit Assou-Ekotto, before breaking clear on the right side of the Tottenham area and attempting to pick out a team-mate, only to see Dawson turn the ball over his own bar. 

But then Watford thought they'd got the goal they deserved five minutes before the interval when Hameur Bouazza's ball split the Tottenham defence and Ashley Young kept his composure to slide the ball beyond Robinson from 12 yards, only for the celebrations to be cut short by a late, and dubious, offside flag. 

Tottenham offered more of a threat after the break and Robbie Keane looked poised to set up Dimitar Berbatov for the opening goal after rounding Foster until his cut-back was brilliantly back-heeled over his own bar by the calm Jay DeMerit. 

Foster then kept out Keane's low curling shot, before Damien Francis was unlucky to see a low drive deflected narrowly wide of the target at the other end. 

The game's last meaningful opportunity fell, perhaps inevitably, to Lennon who streaked clear down the right side of the area before striking an angled effort, but Foster was again equal to it, pushing the ball into the ground and up over his own bar. 

Golden Boys man of the match: Ben Foster, denied the talented Aaron Lennon on at least three occasions.