Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho felt it was “unfair” his side only came away from Vicarage Road with a draw after they were held by resurgent Watford, who missed a penalty.
Troy Deeney saw his spot-kick saved, but the Hornets extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to seven matches.
Paulo Gazzaniga dived low to his right to deny the Watford captain following Jan Vertonghen’s handball in the second half.
But Mourinho said: “I think we deserved to win this match. To lose would have been too harsh on the boys.”
Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster saved from Nathaniel Chalobah and Lucas Moura before half-time to thwart Spurs, who have now gone four league games without a win.
“The result is unfair. I think it would have been more unfair if we lost,” added Mourinho, whose side have now gone four matches without a win.
“We had the control of the game, especially in the first half. We arrived in dangerous positions. We created chances but we did not manage to score.”
Deeney had headed a good chance straight at Gazzaniga just before the break, while Abdoulaye Doucoure shot into the side-netting early in the second half.
Watford substitute Ignacio Pussetto, making his debut for the club, cleared an Erik Lamela effort off the line in stoppage time at the end of the match.
Winger Pussetto, a £7m signing from Udinese, had only been on the pitch for just over a minute when he slid in to hook away with almost the whole ball over the goalline. The Hornets, who were bottom of the table when manager Nigel Pearson took over in December, are now 17th, while Spurs are seventh.
The turnaround in Watford’s form since Pearson’s arrival has been put down to several factors, from the manager’s attention to detail around the club off the pitch to a simple, hard-working ethic on it.
The latter was in evidence again throughout an encounter that lacked out-and-out excitement but still bristled with tension, with both sides keen to avoid defeat at the very least.
That matters now seem to be going Watford’s way under Pearson was indicated when the ball appeared to strike Craig Cathcart on the hand inside the hosts’ area in only the second minute, but referee Michael Oliver ignored Spurs’ claims for a penalty.
